ER doctor on how to prevent heat illnesses during DC’s upcoming heat wave

The National Weather Service is warning about excessive heat and humidity headed to the D.C. area, with daily heat indexes of 110 from Sunday through the middle of next week.

A doctor who works in a D.C. emergency room is offering suggestions about how to stay safe.

“People can feel symptoms of heat illness, whether that’s weakness, fatigue, nausea — think flu — and sometimes they can get very overheated from the heat itself,” said Alex Koo, emergency medicine physician with MedStar’s Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital.

And the risk increases with high humidity.

“If the heat index is, like 90%, that can definitely change the way we interpret the temperature by like 6 or 7 degrees Fahrenheit,” Koo said. “It definitely can make it harder to breathe,” and impact the body’s ability to dissipate heat.

The body dissipates heat by sweating, Koo said.

“Unfortunately, with high humidity, that water can’t really evaporate that well, so it just sits on our skin, and we can’t pull off heat, so that puts us at risk for heat injuries,” Koo said.

The very young and very old are at increased risk with excessive heat and humidity, as are people with chronic medical conditions, including heart conditions and diabetes.

Within the spectrum of heat illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Koo said “the treatment is almost always the same as to what we can do when we’re out with our friends and family — and that’s basically getting into shade.”

Drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after sun exposure is important, Koo said.

“There’s not really a number of how much fluid, or how many bottles of water you should be drinking,” Koo said. “A good gauge is basically based on your urine color — if it’s a pale yellow rather than dark amber color, I think that means you’re pretty hydrated at that moment.”

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.