Canadians are sweltering under the heat wave in Ontario and parts of Quebec, and for those taking certain medications , precaution is needed as the thermometre soars. The two provinces are seeing the humidex reach the low to mid-40s on Wednesday with the heat expected to stay to the end of the week, and medical experts like Dr. Samantha Green say those on some medications should be aware that what they’re taking could impact their ability to handle that extreme heat.
“Some of those medications directly interfere with the hypothalamus, which is the body’s thermostat, and the way that the body kind of co-ordinates normal thermo-regulation, and some of those medications interfere with some of the ways that our body is able to cool itself,” Green, a family physician, told Global News. According to Green, that part of the brain tells the lungs to start breathing faster and the heart to start beating at a higher rate. It causes the blood to be closer to the surface of the skin and helps the body lose some of its heat through radiant cooling.
In addition, the body will also sweat, which allows people to lose further body heat by evaporation. Story continues below advertisement According to Health Canada, medication that can impact the hypothalamus, heat perception, cardiac output, sweat rate, body hydration, renal function and electrolyte status can cause someone to be at a higher risk of heat illness. The latest health and medical news emailed to you every Sunday.
Some exam.
