Heat emergencies

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heat emergencies

Heat emergencies

Definition:

Heat emergencies fall into three categories of increasing severity: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Alternative Names:

Heatstroke

Considerations:

Heat illnesses are easily preventable by taking precautions in hot weather.

text continues below

Children, elderly, and obese people have a higher risk of developing heat illness. People taking certain medications or drinking alcohol also have a higher risk. However, even a top athlete in superb condition can succumb to heat illness if he or she ignores the warning signs.

If the problem isn't addressed, heat cramps (caused by loss of salt from heavy sweating) can lead to heat exhaustion (caused by dehydration), which can progress to heatstroke. Heatstroke, the most serious of the three, can cause shock, brain damage, organ failure, and even death.

Causes:

The following are common causes of heat emergencies:

High temperatures or humidity
Dehydration
Prolonged or excessive exercise
Excess clothing
Alcohol use
Medications, such as diuretics, neuroleptics, phenothiazines, and anticholinergics
Cardiovascular disease
Sweat gland dysfunction

References:

Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 4^th Ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2001:240-316.

DeLee JC, Drez, Jr., D, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez?s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2^nd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2003:763.