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Departments > Blogs > Chronic Conditions in Cold Weather: Essential Tests and Precautions

Chronic Conditions in Cold Weather: Essential Tests and Precautions

As temperatures start to drop in India, people with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and heart disease need to take extra precautions. Winter conditions lead to reduced body temperature. Therefore, the body goes through thermoregulation so that it can adapt to the new weather conditions.

At times, this transition is displayed through undergoing several winter chronic diseases. However, with a little effort and adopting some precautions this winter season, you can have a supercharged, healthy winter. We have compiled winter health tips for chronic conditions so that you can survive winter with chronic conditions that make you cold-sensitive.

What Causes Chronic Conditions in Cold Weather?

Cold weather acts as a shock to the body when the temperature drops during winter. Similarly, extreme temperature drops also affect health, causing psoriasis, Asthma, arthritis, Raynaud's disease, and autoimmune diseases like anaemia, lupus and multiple sclerosis. These conditions are prevalent if you;

Therefore, keeping yourself warm is extremely important. Various precautions should be taken to protect yourself from winter chronic conditions.

Types of Winter Chronic Conditions

Chronic conditions in winter can take a toll on your health. Therefore, you must know about the types of chronic conditions in winter and how to detect and prevent them.

Let’s look at some of the common chronic conditions in winter.

Coping with Diabetes

A cold climate restricts blood vessels, forcing the body to conserve heat by keeping blood closer to vital organs. This changes how efficiently insulin transports glucose out of the bloodstream for energy usage. As blood circulation slows, blood sugar can spike.

Detection:

Prevention:

Guarding Your Heart

Cold temperatures cause blood vessels to narrow and blood to thicken. This makes the heart work harder. People with heart disease are at higher risk in winter. The cold can bring on chest pain, irregular heartbeats, or even heart attacks. Things that raise the risk include:

Detection:

Before winter gets very cold, visit your doctor. Get tested to check:

These tests help spot issues early so that treatment can be changed. Tell your doctor if you notice possible signs like chest tightness, fluttering heartbeats, swelling, or sudden tiredness in winter.

Prevention

To reduce heart strain in cold months:

Battling Arthritis Pain

Arthritic pain stems from inflammation affecting bone and joint cartilage. Cold, dry weather constricts blood vessels and reduces blood circulation to extremities, exacerbating stiffness, swelling, and pain in affected joints. People with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis suffer more in winter, struggling to get out of bed, walk comfortably or grip things.

Detection: Get a Complete Blood Count test and Vitamin D Status. Rheumatoid arthritis patients should test for ESR (elevated sedimentation rates indicating inflammation) and Cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody produced in most RA cases.

Prevention:

Asthma Management

Asthma worsens for many in winter as the air is dry and cold. This irritates inflamed airways that are already sensitive to triggers like dust mites, pet hair, pollen, etc. Dryness provokes cells lining the airway to swell and release histamines/leukotrienes, causing thicker mucus secretions. Constricted breathing tubes fill with mucus and tighten further, hampering airflow.

Detection: Get pulmonary testing done before winter, measuring lung capacity and airflow velocity.

Prevention:

Where are the Risks Involved - A Deeper Analysis

Chronic ailments are vulnerable to people with specific conditions. The risk factors for chronic conditions in cold weather include:

When Should You See a Doctor?

As cold weather conditions arise, preventive health check-ups are the best option to overcome winter diseases and restore good health in the cold weather.

During the winter season, you get reduced exposure to sunlight, which leads to vitamin D deficiency. So, a simple blood test to check the vitamin D level is necessary to determine the requirement of supplements to support your bone health, immunity system, and overall well-being.

Other blood tests that might be required to diagnose your health conditions are;

Thus, by determining your thyroid, cholesterol, vitamin levels, immune system, and overall health, you can deal with any winter chronic issues and make informed decisions about your health. Follow the winter health tips for chronic conditions.

Ensure that you consult with a reliable healthcare provider like Apollo Diagnostics so that you can determine which blood tests are most relevant for your specific needs. We assure the best health diagnosis to stay healthy even in extreme conditions.

FAQs

Can winter chronic diseases be cured?

Yes, with suitable diagnosis and better precautionary steps, chronic illness in winter can be cured. Adding vitamin C to your diet, drinking herbal teas, meditating, and keeping yourself warm can prevent chronic diseases in winter.

What are the types of winter chronic diseases?

The types of such chronic conditions in winter are sore and strep throat, asthma, acute ear infection, pneumonia, common cold and cough, the inter-v vomiting bug, frost bites, and psoriasis.

Why should cardiac patients get tested before winter?

Heart patients should get lipid profiles, cardiac risk marker tests, and ECGs before winter as cold can raise blood pressure and cholesterol and strain the heart. This helps customise treatment to prevent risk and manage exertion.

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