Although cold weather itself does not directly cause disease, exposure to low temperatures can lead to various health risks, some of which fatal.
Many people associate cold with colds, probably because respiratory infections reach peak in winter, but it is not the cold that causes these infections.
What the cold can do is weaken immune defenses, making people more susceptible to viruses.
Hypothermia
Cold temperatures can trigger specific conditions such as hypothermiaa dangerous drop in central body temperature.
The human body normally maintains a temperature of about 37 ° C (98.6 ° F). However, prolonged exposure to extreme cold can cause body heat to escape faster than it can be replaced. If the central temperature goes down below 35 ° C (95 ° F), the hypothermia is installed, causing symptoms as tremors, pale skin, dragged and slow breathing. Without treatment, hypothermia can lead to organ failure and death.
Freezing
Another serious consequence of exposure to cold is the freezingwhich affects the ends above all, such as the fingers of the hands and feet, the ears and the nose.
When tissues freeze due to extreme cold, blood flow is restricted and may result in damage to tissues or death. Severe cold burns may require amputation to remove the dead fabric. Vulnerable groups include children, the elderly and without housing.
Síndrome de Reynaud
Cold weather can also cause Síndrome de Reynauda disease in which the blood vessels of the extremities contract, causing the fingers of their hands and feet to be white or blue.
This disease often affects people with familiar background of Reynaud syndrome, people with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, or people who take specific medications.
Other diseases such as the Trincheira, chilblains and hives to the cold (cold -induced urticaria) are also related to prolonged exposure to lower temperatures.
Cold aggravates existing problems
In addition to the cold -related diseases, cold time can aggravate existing health problems, such as eczema, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Os heart attacks They are also more common in winter due to blood vessel constriction, which increases blood pressure and pressure on the heart.
And the wet hair in the cold? Is it bad?
Sorry, mothers and grandparents: What you say is a lie.
Leaving the street in winter with wet hair does not make us sick or constipated: it only makes us colder and more uncomfortable.
RPETTING THE PREVIOUS IDEA, Constipations are caused solely by viruses.
