High temperatures have caused 184 deaths in La Rioja since 2015

The entire system of alerts and associated thermal thresholds seeks to protect health on the most extreme days of the calendar, and in recent years, thermal worsening has been associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality problems. According to estimates from the Daily Mortality Surveillance System (MoMo), 184 people have died in La Rioja since 2015 due to high temperatures, almost half of them in the last two summers.

The Carlos III Institute, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, develops the MoMo system to identify deviations in mortality on specific days, such as days of extreme cold or heat. This results in an assessment of the deaths attributable to these thermal excesses, which in the case of Rioja indicate 184 heat-related deaths since 2015, when the registry began. 2022 was the most serious year, with 50 deaths, followed by 2023 (38) and 2019 (30). In addition to heat stroke, the most extreme, there are other reasons, such as the worsening of diseases or associated pollution.

To avoid cases like this, the Riojan health system establishes a constantly evolving protocol every summer. «The information that professionals receive and is incorporated is continuous; “They deal with all types of cases, including those related to heat,” says Pedro Marco, Seris Emergency Coordinator, who explains how the system prepares for the summer season, detailing the risk levels, the immediate communication of cases and the measures adopted or the attention to vulnerable and at-risk populations.

Pedro Marco himself describes that “a decrease or increase in body temperature is harmful to health, so the body must regulate it. The brain acts as a thermostat and activates compensatory mechanisms, by dilating the vessels of the skin capillaries and with sweat, which can generate losses of several liters.

In situations of high temperatures and dehydration, the mildest conditions are cramps, “which usually occur during physical exercise due to the loss of water and minerals, a circumstance that is easy to replace or prevent.” For its part, moderate problems come with heat exhaustion, “the ones we see most frequently in the emergency room,” says Pedro Marco: “The heart has to send blood at a faster rate due to the dilation of the vessels, which can cause a voltage drop. This generates exhaustion associated with vomiting, dizziness, headache…

Finally, the most critical situations are heat stroke: “It occurs when the thermostat and body regulation mechanisms fail. The patient suffers alterations in consciousness, fever above 40º, seizures, damage to vital organs… These are exceptional cases but we see them.

Prevention is the main tool to combat the effects of extreme maxims and Pedro Marco considers that “there is increasingly greater citizen awareness when it comes to following the recommendations.” These remind us of the importance of drinking water frequently even if you are not thirsty, avoiding alcohol or high doses of caffeine, staying in cool, heated and shady places, eating light meals or avoiding physical exercise outdoors during the extra hours. heat. “We are all vulnerable to heat,” Marco emphasizes, although small children, pregnant women, older people and those with certain pathologies or with pharmacological treatments for diabetes or hypertension are especially vulnerable.