Weather and temperature changes affect many aspects of life, and their impact on health can be considered one of the most important of these effects, as weather changes have the ability to affect the physical and psychological health of humans, and these effects differ depending on the different weather conditions and the health problems that a person suffers from. , And the type of clothing a person wears in different weather conditions, and the duration of time during which the person is exposed to different weather conditions.
Here, we review some diseases and health conditions associated with blood problems, and the effect of cold weather on them.
Frostbite (English: Chilblains), or swelling of the fingers, a disease caused by inflammation of the small blood vessels in the skin after exposure to cold temperatures, but do not reach freezing, which can cause itching, redness, or swelling of the capillary network of blood (English: Capillary beds), which represent small clusters of blood vessels, and the spots resulting from this condition usually appear on the fingers or toes, or on the cheeks, and pimples can appear in the place of inflammation as well.
Anyone can become infected suddenly without feeling ill, as the development of this condition does not require very low temperatures to be infected with it, as repeated exposure to temperatures of 15.5 degrees Celsius or below may lead to infection.
Frostbite causes loss of feeling in the affected skin and tissues, and this condition often affects the fingers or feet, or some exposed areas of the face such as the ears, cheeks, nose, or chin, and this condition may lead to Severe damage to the affected tissues may, in the worst cases, require amputation of the affected part.
Frostbite occurs as a result of exposure to cold, very low temperatures that lead to freezing of the skin and tissues, which leads to the appearance of the affected area white or yellowish-gray, with a loss of feeling in the affected area, or a feeling of hardness in the affected area, or a feeling that the affected area feels like a wax.
It is recommended to wear appropriate warm clothes at low temperatures to avoid this condition, especially for people who suffer from problems with blood circulation.
Hypothermia, or hypothermia (English: hypothermia), refers to a decrease in body temperature below the normal level, which results from continuous exposure to low temperatures, so that the body loses heat faster than it is able to produce it.
This condition develops in stages that depend on the extent to which the body is exposed to low temperatures, as the initial symptoms include feeling chills, which is an indication of the onset of hypothermia, then the moderate symptoms such as feeling dizzy and confused, difficulty moving and speaking, feeling hungry and tired, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat the heart.
After that, the feeling of chills stops, and advanced symptoms begin to appear, and they are difficulty speaking and muttering, feeling sleepy and not paying attention to what is happening around the person, slow and shallow breathing, weak and slow heartbeat.
Trench foot, or what is known as the immersion foot, is a condition that affects wet feet that are exposed to cold weather for long periods, as this condition can affect wet or wet feet, starting at 15.5 degrees Celsius .
Wet feet lose heat very quickly, as they lose heat twenty-five times faster than dry feet, which leads to a response in the body to prevent heat loss, as blood circulation to the feet is cut off, leaving them without oxygen or nutrients, which leads to the development of some Symptoms include redness, numbness, swelling of the skin, a feeling of painful tingling, cramping of the legs, the appearance of blisters and sores, and gangrene (English: Gangrene) that occurs when the foot tissues begin to die, as they change color to blue, dark purple, or gray.
Cold weather puts an additional burden on the heart, as patients with heart disease may suffer during cold weather from pain and discomfort in the chest area.
High blood pressure (English: Hypertension) is one of the most common diseases in the world, and it is one of the cardiovascular diseases that are affected by weather and temperature changes. A large study conducted on a large number of people indicates that climate changes have a direct effect on the relative blood pressure of people. The study found that blood pressure is better in the summer compared to the winter, regardless of place, altitude, or climate in which the person lives.
The study indicates that the change in blood pressure is related to the extent of fluctuation and difference in temperature between intense summers and severe winters, and not between the amount of high or low temperatures themselves during these seasons, as people who live in places where temperatures rise significantly in The summer season, and it decreases dramatically also in the winter, they suffer from the same effect of weather fluctuations on blood pressure compared to people who live in places where temperatures are gentler throughout the year, as the rate of fluctuation in temperature is similar.
Other studies indicate that moving from places with a hot climate to places with a cold climate may lead to noticeable changes in blood pressure, and not vice versa, as this effect appears at least during the first winter after moving to cooler places, until it acclimates. The body with the new environment surrounding it.
The reason for this phenomenon is still not fully known until now, but it is believed that the change in the circumference of blood vessels associated with cold climates may be one of the factors that cause this phenomenon, as blood vessels shrink when they cool, which leads to an increase in blood pressure. They are more exposed to cold weather and are more susceptible to this effect, which may cause a slight increase in blood pressure.
It is also believed that there is a link between places with a cold climate, which are often darker, and whose inhabitants are not exposed to sunlight, and between changes in the production of vitamin D, which exposure to sunlight is the main source of its production in human bodies, and other scientists believe that the change in angle The sun leads to simple hormonal changes in the body, which may have a role in the effect of the atmosphere on blood pressure.
Cold agglutinin disease is a rare type of autoimmune hemolytic anemia, in which the immune system in the person's body attacks and destroys red blood cells when exposed to low temperatures.
Exposure of people with cold agglutinin to low temperatures ranging from 0-10 degrees Celsius leads to the binding of certain immune proteins, which naturally attack the bacteria, with red blood cells, which causes these cells to clump together and ultimately die, causing anemia in the blood .
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