Infants, children under four years of age and pregnant women: the risk groups forgotten in the heat wave

• Heat wave This is how our body reacts to extreme temperatures

• Extreme heat This is the profile of the victims of the heat wave: "There are middle-aged patients who arrive with a body temperature of more than 40ºC"

In this period of extreme temperatures that Spain is going through, the Ministry of Health warns of the special care that the

must receive .

The elderly, the sick, those on medication or mentally impaired, those who are overweight and children under four years of age are the main risk groups that the Government establishes in its heat prevention area.

However, doctors emphasize the importance of the

.

For him, the big problem is that it

, something that he can only express through her crying.

"With these age groups we must take special care and attention. We must offer them liquid.

than usual."

Other health professionals, such as the emergency physician and spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (Semfyc) Laura Carbajo, agree with this perspective.

For her, children tend to hydrate more and better than the older ones, and in the latter it is achieved that they are not outside during peak heat hours.

"Even if they don't have a pool, they can always stay cool at home," she says.

However, she points out that

.

Usually the water given to infants comes from their own breast milk or artificial milk.

"I'm from Seville, and when they ask me if the child can drink water, I answer: Of course he can drink water! Because

."

For Carbajo, it is essential to take it into account, since on many occasions it is something that is unknown and about which questions rarely arise.

"They need this supply of water when we have such high temperatures."

An undeveloped thermoregulatory system

The human being develops his brain thanks to the rear opening of the skull that allows his growth, as pointed out by the family doctor and spokesman for the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) Lorenzo Armenteros.

This opening, called

.

"They are palliative systems that exist in children who do not yet have a fully developed regulatory system," explains Armenteros.

Although children tend to suffer

, because "luckily they do not have any chronic pathology that has these sometimes fatal consequences, as happens in the elderly."

This thermoregulatory system is the one that allows us to breathe in a certain way to expel heat, the one that makes us sweat and the one that triggers vasodilation and reddening of the skin surface.

"The lack of these mechanisms can affect children to extremes such as

," says the SEMG spokesperson, "although fortunately it is not typical, sometimes

."

Doctors agree that heat often alters the sleep rhythm of children, causing fatigue and difficulty breathing normally.

In addition, Armenteros points out that "

."

To avoid these situations as much as possible, health professionals recommend refreshing their skin on a regular basis, offering them fresh water constantly and staying in the shade during the hottest hours.

Regarding pregnant women, Pardo Franco highlights the positive side of young people.

"Youth is the greatest defense against disease," she explains, "but we must not forget that

."

These changes affect

, and an

due to the fact of feeding the living being that is gestating.

This risk group needs a significant supply of fluids, proteins and minerals.

"In summer we would recommend that they maintain frequent hydration, avoid hot environments and hours of exposure to the sun between 12:00 and 17:00 in the afternoon, wear light clothing in light colors, eat fruit and vegetables and avoid meals copious," advises the Semergen spokesman.

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