(WXMI) — During extremely cold weather, staying warm outside can be a challenge. If you are not dressed properly, hypothermia and frostbite can occur quickly.
Hypothermia and frostbite are dangerous conditions that can happen when you are exposed to cold temperatures. Frostbite is when the skin freezes and hypothermia is when your core body temperature gets to or below 95 degrees.
Reigstered Nurse Christa Wagner, an Emergency Department clinical coordinator at University of Michigan Health-West, says, "If you have some extenuating circumstances with your own health that don't allow for you to have great circulation, particularly in your extremities — maybe if you have diabetes, those types of things — your risk continues to go up again. Pediatric patients would be at risk and those that are in the elderly have a greater risk."
Wagner says having an emergency kit in your car is essential.
“Sometimes we think we'll just throw on our lightweight jacket and not have things to prepare if we were to get into a car accident. So, it's wise to consider also having kind of an emergency kit; maybe an extra pair of gloves, a hat that could cover your ears, any of those extremities that would be at more risk for frostbite or that hypothermia and exposure.”
The warning signs for frostbite are white or grayish-yellow skin, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, and numbness.
The warning signs for hypothermia include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness.
“Those are some signs that you may have gotten into a situation where you're becoming hypothermic and then the right thing to do is to get yourself indoors, get yourself warm. That usually includes taking off the items that you originally had on and putting on warm things like a warm blanket, those types of things, over your body so that you can warm up.”
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With frostbite, do not rub or expose the area to heat because you could damage the skin. Get to a warm room ASAP and, if possible, put the affected area in warm water.
Wagner says, “If you really believe that you have true frostbite and it wasn't just cold exposure, that you got a little bit hypothermic with it and warming in those areas don't seem to be helping, then you're going to want to seek medical attention for frostbite.
Wagner says to dress in layers, keep exposed skin covered and limit your time outside.
“You really need to be thoughtful when you are going outside.”
Being prepared is your best defense against extremely cold weather. Learning the warning signs is an important part of protecting your health.
