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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

02/02/24 09:11 AM IST

Heat Impacts on Children

In News
  • Heat waves are occurring with greater frequency and are lasting longer than ever before, with the World Meteorological Organisation declaring that 2023 was the hottest year on record.
Impact of Extreme Heat
  • The extreme heat affects infants and young children more than most adults because their smaller bodies heat up more quickly, and their capacity for body temperature modulation is still under development and therefore, far less efficient.
  • Infants and young children also can’t seek out cooler environments or get water to drink without relying on adults.
  • The paper adds that children and adolescents with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, obesity, or diabetes, are even more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.
  • The human body responds to excessive heat primarily by redistributing blood flow toward the skin so heat can transfer out of the body and into the environment through sweat which evaporates on the skin, bringing body temperature down.
  • The blood flow cooling method is especially important for young children. As long as the air temperature is cooler than the body’s temperature, heat dissipates through the skin to the outside environment.
  • When temperatures rise, the brain regulates these physiological responses, with additional input from temperature-sensitive nerve cells in the skin and throughout the body.
  • Cells also produce heat shock proteins, which act as “chaperones” that stabilise the structure of other proteins that high temperatures could damage.
  • Every cell in the body contains heat shock proteins, protecting a variety of other proteins that are critical to life, including hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to our cells.
  • Over short periods of time, heat shock proteins are effective and helpful in regulating body temperature, but when temperatures stay too high for too long, they lose their ability to function, and the proteins they protect start to break down.
  • This could mean a higher susceptibility to infections and a decreased response to vaccines, only a couple of the cascade of reactions that can occur as a result of the breaking down of proteins.
Brain —
  • The hypothalamus acts as a thermostat for the entire body, sensing temperatures and reacting to keep core temperatures within a healthy range.
  • Continuous, high temperatures prevent the hypothalamus from shutting off these cooling responses.
  • Also, when the heat shock proteins break down, the body identifies them as invaders and sends out immune cells to fight them, thus keeping them from their main task of fighting infections.
Skin and Gut —
  • In response to heat, pores in the skin open to allow more sweat to pass through and evaporate, increasing the body’s ability to cool itself.
  • The lining of the gut can become leaky allowing bacteria to pass through to other parts of the body.
  • Over a period of time, this can increase the likelihood that harmful bacteria and toxins will reach the body’s vital organs via the circulatory system.
Heart and Other Muscles —
  • In response to excess heat, the heart rate increases to send more blood to the skin, releasing the body’s core heat into the environment.
  • Consequently, less blood is sent to the muscles, which can constrain muscle growth, cause muscle fibres to break down, and contribute to kidney dysfunction.
Pregnant women & Children
  • In pregnant women, high temperatures may result in reduced blood flow in the placenta, dehydration, and inflammation, which can trigger preterm birth.
  • There is evidence that during times of high temperatures, there are increased rates of stillbirth, as well as more premature and lower birth weight babies, again, linked to a greater risk of a range of poor outcomes later in life, including impaired cognition, reduced growth, and chronic health issues such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood.
Heat can disrupt development through three distinct pathways
  • Learning loss — heat is linked to slower cognitive function and reduced concentration ability. Learning loss may occur because heat’s effects on the brain can produce slower reaction times and an inability to focus and can have lasting effects on learning outcomes. Hotter school days two, three, and even four years prior to a test correlate to lower scores.
  • Sleep quality — getting enough good-quality sleep is essential for healthy growth and development.
  • The third crucial factor is Mental and behavioural health — because children’s brains and bodies are developing rapidly and are highly sensitive to their experiences, early childhood is a period where threats to well-being can have long-lasting effects on mental health.
  • Because of this, treatment and prevention efforts in the early years can have much larger effects on children’s long-term psychological health and well-being than efforts that begin later, the paper advises.
  • The brain detects extreme heat as a threat to well-being, which activates the stress response system.
Way forward
  • Improving structural cooling options in buildings, including greening campaigns, installing air conditioning and other cooling mechanisms; providing accessible links to the power grid; and developing proper heat plans.
Source- The Hindu

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