Exposure to extreme cold can cause number of health risks

With blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chills as cold as 20 below, medical officials recommend staying indoors as much as possible.

Extreme and extended cold temperatures can increase the chances of illness or injury.

Hypothermia, when the body's core temperature drops below 95 degrees, can occur during extreme cold but also in moderately chilly conditions.

“Shivering is your body's way of creating heat. When you stop shivering, that's when we get concerned. That means you're at a point where hypothermia has kicked in and it might be serious,” said Dr. Hieu Nguyen with Norman Regional Health System.            

According to health officials, people who drink alcohol or with certain health conditions, especially the elderly, are most at risk.

“They have lower reserves, when you get older your body fat percentage goes down, which can help you stay warm as well,” said Nguyen.                     

Nguyen says the most common winter injury results in bruises, fractures, and head injuries due to slips and falls. Doctors say when it comes to the elderly, recovering from those injuries can be difficult and extremely painful. The cold weather can also inflame chronic conditions.

“You hear about old people saying their knees can predict rain and snow things like that,” said Nguyen.                            

Currently, in Oklahoma, Nguyen says upper respiratory illnesses are skyrocketing. He says taking measures to safeguard others may be necessary even if you’ve tested negative for flu or COVID.

“The flu test can miss almost half of the cases, the COVID test can miss one in three. You can’t have a negative test and say, ‘I don’t have it, I can go back into the community.’ My rule of thumb is-- if you have symptoms, take precautions.”

Drier air from indoor heating can cause you to become dehydrated. Health experts recommend drinking plenty of fluids.