SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is currently experiencing one of its most extreme heat waves ever recorded with record breaking temperatures of up to 116 degrees tearing through Northern California and the Central Valley.
Amid severely high temperatures, experts warn those exposed to the heat to stay cool and look out for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Although everyone is at risk when exposed to extreme heat, some groups are more susceptible to heat-related illness and should consider taking extra precaution during triple-digit temperatures.
"There are some conditions that have put us at higher risk for heat-related illness," UC Davis medical expert Dr. Sheri Belafski said. "For example, some underlying health conditions such as heart disease and kidney disease, conditions that affect your circulation."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who are most at risk for heat-related illness are those who are immunocompromised (such as those with heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes), people with obesity, people over 65, infants and children under 4.
Prolonged heat exposure heavily impacts the cardiovascular system and put increased strains on the heart, posing a greater risk to those with heart disease, according to a 2020 report by the CDC.
The CDC report also reveals medication taken to treat heart disease can also create a greater risk to heat-related illness as they contain enzymes that can compound the deleterious effects of extreme heat on the body.
Those with diabetes, a disease which undoubtedly comes with a number of complications, are especially affected for a number of reasons.
For one, high heat can affect glucose levels, making it difficult to control, according to the CDC. Diabetes adversely impacts nerves and blood vessels, making it hard for the body to cool off effectively.
"People with diabetes are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, so they should take, in particular, extra precautions and make sure that they're drinking more water than they normally would, and they should really take it easy and stay inside in the cool as much as they can," Belafski said.
Those who are considered obese should follow similar precautions as obesity causes the skin temperature to develop much quicker, increasing the internal body temperature at a much faster rate than those who are not considered obese, according to a study by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
The same study reveals people over the age of 60 are among the worst impacted as the ability to maintain the body's core temperature in extreme heat, as well as critical systems in the body, becomes compromised with age.
Similarly, the NLM attributes higher risk of heat-related illness in infants to greater surface area to body mass ratio, lower rate of sweating and slower rate of acclimatization.
"I think one of the most important things that we can do is to focus on our most vulnerable people, our most vulnerable populations," Belafski said. "If we have family members who are older and living alone, we want to be checking up on them... Also, for our youngest family members, I would recommend that you take similar precautions."
Watch more from ABC10: California Heat Wave: Tracking the record-breaking heat wave in NorCal
