#and let’s be real grrm would probably come up with some fantasy disease kinda prevalent in his world if asked about elia’s health

[nerajaana]

Lol ok then, I’m not gonna apologise for the lengthy med jargon.

Regarding the effects of extreme weather on chronic conditions- it does have an impact, but not as severe as google would make you think. Unless they’re out getting exposed to the worst of the weather it shouldn’t be having a significant impact on their preexisting conditions. For example, extreme heat is linked with asthmatic attacks because of higher incidence of wildfires, which in turn increases the air pollution and that affects the asthmatics. Low humidity, whether hot or cold, means drier nasal cavities so increased incidence of respiratory infections.

As for the effects of heat itself, how acclimatised one is to the weather is an important factor. Sudden weather changes make a significant difference: if i were to move to a different climatic zone that I’m not adapted to, my immune system will be weakened for a short while, until it’s adjusted to the new environment. Which is why the heat surges and uncharacteristic drops in temperatures create so much havoc. Exposing yourself to the worst of it by not taking adequate measures will obviously have an impact irrespective of how adapted you are - I was referring to the whole uv rays damaging your dna and skin changes and skin cancers thing in my earlier response when I mentioned that people must’ve adapted over generations to the environment. Do a quick google search and see which countries have the highest incidence of skin cancers, you’d get my point.

Common folk would deal with health issues in every kingdom, and I doubt they’d have perfect skin whether in Dorne or the North. Or hell, even Reach for that matter. Farmers have to deal with nasty fungi and parasites, especially in the medieval periods where sewage system and overall hygiene practices weren’t at their best. Weather extremities wouldn’t be that high in the list of hurdles they have to overcome in order to maintain a healthy enough life.

Coming to Elia, given that she’s a month premature, it’s likely that she must’ve dealt with mild asthma and hampered physical growth due to inability to gain/maintain ideal weight. And given Doran’s gout, the chances of Elia suffering from chronic hemolytic anemia are pretty high. Frailness, delicate health, long periods of bed rest post partum hint towards it.

Yeah google’s free but med school wasn’t, inspite of the full ride scholarship. Eh, well. And since we’re sharing personal experiences because otherwise the opinions would remain invalid- I’ve lived in semi arid region all my life. Where the average temperatures soar above 45 degrees for at least a third of the year and you can’t wear anything less than a whole ass fOrmAL indian outfit to the teaching hospital where there’s no air conditioning while being expected to run around the entire campus out in the sun. And bruh, it’s not bacteria that eat your brain, they’re amoebae. Of course, there are prions too but they’re not bacteria either. And tuberculosis is worse in those who’s immune system’s taken a hit- because of corticosteroid therapy or long standing viral infection like HIV that specifically target one’s immune system or inherited immune disorders or they’re diabetic or because they’re elderly. Cold weather, low af humidity aggravates tuberculosis which is already active, latent tuberculosis is a whole another topic- pls don’t blame the rainy weather.

Was thinking about an awful heat wave my city had in 2017 and started to wonder about how sheltered Elia's life must have been due to the harsh reality of living in a desert.

Long-term exposure to heat can exacerbate pre-existing chronic conditions. It can cause heat exhaustion, which can lead someone to feel faint or dizzy, feel nauseous and have muscle cramps.

If exposed to the sun for too long, there's always sun poisoning and the fact that UV radiation AFFECTS YOUR DNA????? BRO WHAT THE FUC--

The poor small folk of Dorne tho. I imagine skin cancer and just looking older (due to the sun damaging and aging the skin) is as common for them as frostbite is in the North :/

Also the Dornish nights are cold, considering it's a desert. I can see the winter nights in Dorne being particularly harsh (I wonder if they have fireplaces in the bedrooms for such occasions? Might brainstorm about it later), which wouldn't help Elia at all, considering the cold weakens your immune system.

If you think about it, the best region for her to live in was probably the Reach. It's warm, but not overly so, and the nights probably aren't cold.

Perhaps maybe even one of the castles on the Dornish mountains? Tho I'm not sure because it could be too cold, considering how altitudes work, realistically speaking. It is ASoIaF tho so you can never know how much they'll follow reality 🤣