With temperatures in Delhi hitting an unprecedented high in the last 80 years, the ongoing heat wave has started claiming lives. A 40-year-old man from Darbhanga, Bihar, succumbed to a heat stroke at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital.
The victim worked at a factory producing pipeline fittings. Doctors reported that he was brought in by his roommate and other factory workers just past midnight on Monday. “He was living in a room with no cooler or fan and developed a very high fever,” said a doctor attending to him. “His body temperature shot up above 107 degrees Fahrenheit.”
The deceased had been working in Delhi for the past five years.
Due to the escalating temperatures, RML Hospital had set up a special Heat Stroke Unit on May 8, where the patient was admitted immediately upon arrival. “He remained in the unit till Tuesday evening. He was shifted to the ward on Wednesday morning. His condition suddenly deteriorated. He died around 3 pm,” the doctor explained.
Dr. Ajay Chauhan, Professor of Internal Medicine at RML Hospital and head of the Heat Stroke Unit, noted that 6-7 patients had been admitted to the unit in the past week. “Two of them (patients) are still admitted. One of them was a case of heat exhaustion,” he said.
Chauhan highlighted that these patients are primarily from low-income groups. Among them is a worker from a plastic pellet manufacturing company and another individual living on the top floor of a house without an AC or cooler.
He mentioned that the second patient had “a very high body temperature.” “When he arrived at the hospital, he was completely disoriented.”
Doctors explain that heat stroke occurs when the body cannot regulate its rising temperature, causing the cooling mechanism through sweating to fail. Heat exhaustion, however, occurs when the body overheats but continues to sweat.
On Monday, another heat stroke patient was brought to RML Hospital’s Heat Stroke Unit from Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. His condition was serious, and he was immediately put on a ventilator. “He has now been shifted out of the unit,” said Dr. Amlendu Yadav, a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at RML.
“There was a 25-year-old patient who was travelling in a bus at noon when the temperatures are generally very high. She suffered a heat stroke three days ago. She was lucky to get timely treatment and has been discharged now,” Dr. Chauhan said.
Doctors at the unit said they have treated “classic cases of heat stroke.” There are two types of heat stroke, one doctor explained: “Exertional heat is generally because of physical overexertion in hot, humid conditions and can develop within few hours.” Classic heat stroke cases occur “due to age or underlying health conditions.”
Meanwhile, Safdarjung Hospital has set up giant desert coolers on the ground floor of its Emergency building. The hospital’s Public Relations Officer mentioned that four suspected heat stroke patients have been treated in the past week. However, a senior doctor in the Emergency Medicine department reported seeing almost 20 cases in his clinic in the same period. “They were patients of all age groups… office-goers, labourers, and even sportspersons,” he said. “We are also witnessing an increase in the number of children suffering from dehydration… there is an increase in diarrhoea and loose motion cases as well,” he added.
In Northwest Delhi’s Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, one heat stroke case was reported, while Central Delhi’s Lady Hardinge Medical College saw a suspected case.
Private hospitals have mainly reported cases of heat exhaustion. Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said these patients often complain of heat cramps, muscle cramps, and tiredness. “Almost one-fourth of patients I’ve seen have reported these issues,” he noted, adding that the patients are mostly bike riders, security guards, and those working in shaded but hot areas.
Dr. Rommel Tickoo, Director of Internal Medicine at Max Superspeciality Hospital, mentioned seeing cases of mild heat exhaustion but not heat strokes. “Almost 15-20% of patients in the OPD reported symptoms of heat exhaustion in the last week,” he said.
Dr. Tushar Tayal, lead consultant at the Department of Internal Medicine at C K Birla Hospital, Gurgaon, reported seeing only 2-3 cases of mild heat exhaustion.