It's no secret that temperatures have been rising this week.
While New Yorkers need to be mindful of vulnerable populations, it’s also important to be mindful of how hot weather can affect children’s health.
What you need to know: Heat doesn't necessarily cause epilepsy, but it can increase the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, said Rachel Yatau, health educator and outreach coordinator for the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeast New York.
Lila Snyder says she experiences between 10 and 20 seizures a day, and how she deals with them varies depending on the situation.
While heat affects everyone differently, health experts say the best thing kids can do on such hot days is to wear light, light-colored clothing, stay hydrated and use sunscreen.
While it's good for kids to play outside and get some fresh air, doctors say caution is needed when it comes to extreme temperatures.
“Most of the kids we see come in with various degrees of heatstroke, whether it's from playing sports, overexerting themselves or not drinking enough fluids,” says Dr. Robert Best, a pediatric emergency physician at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital.
But kids don't necessarily understand that it has anything to do with the heat.
“They get short of breath, things drag on, the heat hits them. They're exhausted, they get hot from the heat, but we're going to see a lot more kids coming into the nurse's office because of that,” said Morgan Giraldo, nurse at Roy C. Ketchum High School.
But 13-year-old Lila Snyder knows how hot weather affects her: She's had epilepsy since she was four years old.
“She has described it before as feeling like she's having an out-of-body experience, where sometimes she can't hear or understand what's going on and can't answer our questions, and then she has to regain consciousness and understand what's happened and what's going on around her,” said Danielle Snyder, Lila Snyder's mother.
“I used to play Foursquare with my friends, but then I started having seizures and it became really difficult,” Lila Snyder said.
Heat doesn't necessarily cause epilepsy, but it can increase the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, said Rachel Yatau, health educator and outreach coordinator for the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeast New York.
“Dehydration can be a trigger for epileptic seizures in some people. But it can also just be an increase in body temperature — heat stroke, high fever. So anything to do with body temperature or body temperature can trigger a seizure. So there really are a variety of different causes,” Yatau said.
Lila Snyder says she experiences between 10 and 20 seizures a day, and how she deals with them varies depending on the situation.
“Sometimes we have to find a shady spot or something,” Lila Snyder said.
While heat affects everyone differently, health experts say the best thing kids can do on a scorching hot day is to wear light, light-colored clothing, stay hydrated and use sunscreen.
“Avoid being outside for long periods of time and if you are at a playground, make sure your children do not get burned or injured,” Best said.
