Aug 7, 2006, 3:56 GMT
Wuerzburg Swimming under the influence of alcohol can lead to heart failure, say a group of experts. Consuming alcohol in the evening and then jumping into the water is even more dangerous, says Peter Sefrin, head of the Wuerzburg-based Federal Association of the Working Group of Emergency Room Doctors.
'Consuming alcohol widens the blood vessels. Going in the water, even if it is 20 or 22 degrees Celsius, can lead to shock from the cold,' he says. Such a shock can momentarily stop the heart. Sometimes the heart will not start beating again and the swimmer drowns.
A combination of heat, alcohol and swimming leads to deaths every year, says Sefrin. The longer the hot weather lingers into the evening, the greater the danger of these tragedies. Nighttime is the worst period.
'Finding someone in the water in the dark is very difficult,' says Sefrin.
Older people suffer the most heart attacks and strokes while swimming says Sefrin. Care is always advised when children are up and about.
'If there is water nearby, never leave a child unsupervised,' he says. This applies to anything from large bodies of water to paddling pools in which small children can easily drown. Sefrin says children might look out over the water and then fall forward.
As their heads are heavier than their bodies, 'they get their head under the water and they can't get it back out.'
Your Talkback on this Story