Health Minute: How to stay safe in extreme cold
(CNN) – With a winter storm sending temperatures plummeting in several states, a doctor is reminding people how to stay safe in extreme cold, and spot the signs that someone needs help.
Everyone can be affected by the cold, but the elderly, young children, and those without a warm home are especially at risk. In 2023, over 1,000 people died in the U.S. from exposure to the cold or hypothermia. Most of those deaths happened in January. “Your body becomes so cold, a lot of your bodily functions just can’t function the way that they’re meant to,” says Dr. Carl Allamby, an emergency medicine doctor at Cleveland Clinic.
If you have to go out in the cold, Dr. Allamby says you need to dress properly. Make sure to cover the parts of your body most likely to get frostbite, like your ears, chin, cheeks, fingers, and toes. The doctor recommends gloves, a scarf, a hat, and several layers of loose clothing. Waterproof boots and jackets are also critical to keeping warm in cold, wet conditions. Dr. Allamby describes the signs of frostbite to watch out for, “As the coldness progresses and the frostbite increases, you can have things like numbness, your extremities could get very pale and then can get hardened as well as you continue to progress through that.”
As for hypothermia, it affects the whole body and behavior. “You’re going to rely on, on bystanders who realize that somebody may not be acting right or that there’s some sort of change in their mentation,” says Dr. Allamby. Signs include: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, slurred speech, drowsiness. Hypothermia may be harder to spot in babies. Dr. Allamby says to watch for skin that’s bright red and cold and low energy levels. If someone is experiencing hypothermia, call 911.
At this time of year, injuries also increase. Medical providers see more cases of fractured hips, broken wrists and arms, and head injuries, according to Dr. Allamby. There’s also a rise in car accidents. If you plan to drive in cold conditions, it’s important to keep an emergency kit in your car in case you get stuck on the road.
