Sudden rise in temperature prompts caution from UAE doctors

Dry wind coming from desert areas resulted in a hike in temperatures, which reached 47ºC to 48ºC.

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Doctors have advised people to remain indoors and to drink plenty of water before fasting to stay hydrated, as temperatures suddenly rose on Sunday.

Dry wind coming from desert areas sent temperatures as high as 48°C, which would normally be expected in peak summer, a meteorologist said.

The increase is not expected to last more than a day, said Mohammed Al Khjeh, special meteorologist at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.

“Yesterday we saw an unusual increase in temperature, however, this was only for a day and temperatures are expected to slightly drop through the week by a few degrees,” Mr Al Khjeh said.

Coastal areas are expected to have temperatures of about 44°C on Monday, and they will drop further on Tuesday and following days.

Medical advice is that people should drink enough water between iftar and suhoor to stay hydrated as temperatures rise during Ramadan.

“People need to make efforts to reduce sweating and balance their input of water with the output,” said Dr Soha El Baz, specialist in emergency medicine at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

“This means after iftar they should make sure they take in the amount of water necessary for 24 hours, continuously.”

Exposure can lead to many health problems regardless of whether one is fasting, but those who are fasting are more likely to be affected, she said.

“Ranging from heat exhaustion and heat stroke to complete loss of consciousness, being exposed to the heat can cause a range of different problems,” Dr El Baz said.

“Decrease and avoid exposure to heat, avoid stressful work and make sure you replace the amount of water lost during the day, between iftar and suhoor.”

mmannan@thenational.ae