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Summer heat can trigger migraines and worsen stroke symptoms. With expert insights, understand the link between heat and these conditions. Learn how to manage and prevent complications during hot weather.
New Delhi:
As temperatures rise in summer, so does our bodily stress—and for many, this means more frequent or intense headaches. The perception that weather can trigger headaches is widely reported in patients with migraine or tension-type headache. Among migraine patients, temperature change accounts for 16.5 % of variance in headaches, with an incidence of 9.6 % in summer. But lurking beneath is an even more serious concern: while summer heat can trigger migraines, it can also mimic or mask the presentation of more severe neurological conditions such as strokes, rendering early diagnosis perilously challenging.
The summer–migraine connection
According to Dr Saifa Latheef, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, Sharda Care Healthcity, Greater Noida, migraines also tend to get worse with changes in the environment, and heat is a typical trigger. Dehydration, sun exposure, irregular sleep, and heightened physical activity during hot weather can all lead to the onset of migraine. The symptoms usually involve severe, throbbing pain, light or sound sensitivity, nausea, and visual signs called auras.
Moreover, all of these symptoms may coincide with the symptoms of a stroke. A stroke, caused by disrupted blood flow to the brain, may manifest itself with sudden dizziness, confusion, difficulty speaking, and headaches. When these symptoms appear during a heatwave, they are usually dismissed as dehydration or heat exhaustion, causing serious delays in medical treatment.
Heat makes detection tricky
The crossover in symptoms is especially concerning. Heat-related illnesses, by themselves, may induce confusion, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea—symptoms also similar to stroke or severe migraine. To a patient with a history of migraines, a sweltering summer day might seem to make their headache or blurriness of vision make perfect sense. Consequently, both carers and patients themselves may attribute stroke symptoms to more innocuous, heat-related conditions.
In addition, the body’s capacity to maintain temperature balance may be impaired in a stroke. The individual possibly has no sweating or has modified thermoregulation and can be misconstrued as having heatstroke. This enhances the risk of misdiagnosis or delayed treatment—both of which are lethal or result in permanent impairment.
What can be done?
Awareness is paramount. Knowledge of the fine distinctions between migraines, heat stroke, and neurological stroke can be a lifesaver. As an example, migraines tend to have visual auras, while strokes may produce sudden vision loss or partial paralysis. Trouble speaking or comprehending speech, drooping of one side of the face, and weakness of one side of the body are other warning signs more characteristic of a neurological stroke. If any one of these symptoms arises—particularly if they are new—medical help must be sought immediately. The treatments for both conditions are totally different. While in neurological stroke, urgent brain imaging and medicine that lyse the clot are required to be given within 3-4.5 hours of the onset; in heat stroke, it’s all about bringing the body temperature down and aggressive fluid therapy.
Prevention is always better than Cure!! Hydration, more than your usual consumption, appropriate sun protection, and avoidance of outdoor work during the hottest part of the day are key preventative measures. Patients with migraines need to monitor their symptoms and look for any changes in hot weather. For the elderly and those with underlying medical comorbidities who are at risk for stroke, regular checks of blood pressure, blood sugar, and control of risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol are vital, especially in summer.
Conclusion
During the extremely hot days of summer, it is all too easy to brush symptoms aside or write them off as another headache or a bout of sun exhaustion. But with neurological health, better safe than sorry. By remaining aware and educated, we can make sure that the sun of summer does not bring an early shadow on diagnosis and prompt treatment.
Disclaimer: (Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.)
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