MUSLIMS have been warned of the risks of dehydration as they began a month of fasting for Ramadan.

Dehydration is common during a fast, but the risk is increased during hot weather, when the body loses more water and salts through breathing, perspiring and urinating.

A Ramadan Health Guide, supported by the NHS, has told Muslims to make sure they adequately rehydrate before the fasting periods, and to urgently drink fluids if they feel faint.

Muslims who are ill or taking medication have also been warned they are risking their health by fasting.

The advice has come from NHS chiefs and Lancashire mosque leaders who want people to ‘seriously consider’ whether it is appropriate.

Fasting is obligatory for all adult Muslims during the month of Ramadan, which started yesterday.

The fast is considered broken if ‘an agent of consequence’ settles in the throat, stomach or intestines, or the cavities which lead to them during daylight hours. This includes oral and nasal medication.

But in a joint letter to NHS patients and staff Salim Mulla, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, and Rineke Schram, medical director of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “With Ramadan falling in the long summer days, when fasts will be up to 20 hours long, there are a number of issues Muslim patients and NHS staff need to keep in mind.

“The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust respects the beliefs and feelings of its patients and staff, and has held extensive discussions with the Lancashire Council of Mosques and Muslim faith leaders regarding Ramadan.

“Following these consultations, we, along with the Lancashire Council of Mosques, advise people who are on medicine or ill to seriously consider whether fasting for them is appropriate and to consult Islamic scholars.

“Patients on medicine who wish to fast should note that there are possible alternatives to taking their oral medicine at their usual times.

“For certain conditions there may be alternatives such as injections that do not break fasts. We advise patients to consult their health professionals to find the most suitable alternative form or timing of medicine for them.”

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims across the world fast during daylight hours, as a way to teach self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds Muslims of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely eat well.