US
Pharm. 2006;6:8.
Shelves are now stocked with
everything for summer pleasure: outdoor chairs, goggles and fins, barbecue
supplies, and bug repellents. Most of us look forward to summer and spending
time outside with family and friends. Unfortunately, health threats also come
with summer heat. Insects that may spread disease proliferate in warmer
weather. Sunburn and serious conditions such as heat stroke occur during hot
summer days. Pharmacists can offer patients some simple precautions to protect
themselves. Patient education should include advice on surviving hot summer
days either at home or away on vacation.
Air quality is a concern for
those who have respiratory problems. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Air Quality Index (AQI) is used for forecasting daily air quality. It
tells how clean or polluted the air is and what associated health concerns
patients should be aware of. The AQI focuses on health effects that can occur
within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. Besides air quality,
wind is a also health consideration because it can carry pollution and
allergens far distances, therefore affecting people with respiratory ailments
such as asthma.
Many people find the weather
aggravates arthritis. Pain specialists sometimes suggest that patients keep a
detailed journal of weather conditions to establish a possible relationship to
their pain. Changes in weather are more likely than particular weather
conditions to affect the severity of common aches and pains. For example,
rapidly falling barometric pressure, which generally signals the onset of
stormy weather, is believed to have a strong correlation with the potential
for feeling aches and pains. An increase in absolute humidity, especially in
the summer, can lead to an increased potential for aches and pains. Some
research also finds a correlation between dry, cold air and migraine
headaches. According to research by the New England Center for Headache, as
many as half of all migraines are triggered by weather. It is believed that
barometric pressure changes may bring on headaches, if the sinus cavities are
slow to equalize air pressure. Damp, cold weather can intensify sinus pain.
Extremes in temperature, not just changing temperatures, can also affect the
potential for feeling aches and pains.
It is important to educate
people about the ways they can protect themselves from potentially serious
health problems in summer. This issue of U.S. Pharmacist will provide
some valuable points for patient counseling. Keep it handy!
Laura La Piana Simonsen
Executive Managing
Editor
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