Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are common phenomena during the summer, especially on peak hot days… When experiencing heat exhaustion or heatstroke, individuals may not only feel fatigued, dizzy, and suffer from headaches, but it can also lead to heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke. If patients are not treated promptly, it can result in irreversible neurological damage and even death.
What to do when experiencing heat exhaustion or heatstroke
Heat exhaustion often presents severe symptoms from the outset, with many early neurological signs.
Therefore, it is important to understand under what conditions people are more susceptible to heat exhaustion and heatstroke to prevent and manage these conditions, especially given the current weather.
What is heat exhaustion?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, heat exhaustion is the body’s response to losing a significant amount of water and salts, typically due to excessive sweating.
The National Health Service (NHS) states that symptoms of heat exhaustion include fatigue, dizziness, headaches, feeling ill, excessive sweating, pale, moist skin, or heat rash. Additionally, individuals may experience cramps in their arms, legs, or abdomen, rapid breathing, or increased heart rate, elevated body temperature, thirst, and weakness.
What is heatstroke?
In contrast, the CDC indicates that heatstroke is the most severe heat-related illness. It occurs when the body fails to regulate its temperature, causing a rapid increase in body temperature, and the sweating mechanism stops working, preventing the body from cooling down.
When heatstroke occurs, body temperature can rise to 41 degrees Celsius (or higher) within 10-15 minutes. This can lead to permanent disability or death if the patient does not receive emergency treatment.
Symptoms of heatstroke include confusion, changes in mental state, slurred speech, loss of consciousness (coma), hot, dry skin or profuse sweating, seizures, very high body temperature, and a risk of death if treatment is delayed.
Causes
Heatstroke
When working or spending too much time outdoors in the sun, direct sunlight can impact the neck and back areas. Continuous exposure to intense sunlight can shock the body’s temperature regulation center, leading to disrupted thermoregulation and the phenomenon of acute dehydration. Thus, heatstroke often presents severe symptoms from the outset, with many early neurological signs, indicating that damage may be either reversible or irreversible. Some cases may experience subdural hematoma and brain injuries.
Heat exhaustion
This condition involves total dehydration accompanied by disrupted thermoregulation and vascular dysfunction, primarily due to the temperature regulation center not adapting to surrounding environmental conditions. Sunlight and heat are two physical factors that can stress the body. When the outdoor temperature is excessively high, along with prolonged exposure to sunlight or working in hot environments (like mines or enclosed spaces), or excessive physical activity in young individuals (engaging in high-intensity sports or prolonged strenuous labor) can lead to a situation where the heat produced and absorbed is much greater than the heat dissipated by the body to the surrounding environment. Therefore, in heat exhaustion, the primary condition is overall dehydration.
It is essential to equip sun protection gear when working outdoors to prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke
A common feature is that both heat exhaustion and heatstroke lead to a condition of hyperthermia. The classic symptom is an increase in body temperature above 40 degrees Celsius and sudden neurological dysfunction occurring in 80% of cases. As body temperature rises, excessive sweating occurs, leading to a significant loss of water; if this is not compensated for in time, it may result in reduced circulating blood volume causing cardiovascular collapse, severe electrolyte imbalances, which can be fatal. Another risk factor when body temperature rises is the disruption of the functional activities of many organs such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems.
Mild initial signs: Rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, flushed skin, possible sweating accompanied by dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Note that in older people, signs may be subtle and non-specific in the early stages.
More severe symptoms if not treated promptly: Low blood pressure, neurological dysfunction including altered perception, agitation, delirium, confusion, seizures, and coma. Excessively high body temperature can also cause severe electrolyte loss, metabolic imbalances, bleeding, multi-organ failure leading to death.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke can vary depending on the level of hyperthermia and duration.
First aid measures
In the case of heat exhaustion or heatstroke, immediate first aid measures should be taken even before medical personnel or medical equipment are available:
Quickly cool the victim down: Move the victim to a shaded and breezy area, remove excess clothing, give them cool water mixed with salt, and apply cold compresses with cool towels or ice to areas where large arteries are close to the skin like the armpits, groin, and neck. Taking measures to help lower the patient’s temperature is crucial and necessary, as heat exhaustion and heatstroke are caused by increased body temperature and dehydration.
If the victim is unconscious and cannot drink water or is continuously vomiting, has a persistently high fever, accompanied by abdominal pain, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, they must be quickly transferred to the nearest medical facility. During transportation, continue to apply cool compresses to the victim.
At medical centers, the victim will receive intravenous fluids and electrolytes along with other supportive measures. In cases of high fever, paracetamol may be used to help reduce fever. If there are seizures, anti-seizure medications should be administered. In cases of coma, intubation may be necessary for mechanical ventilation.
Stay hydrated when it’s hot or during heavy labor.
Prevention of heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- It is important to have preventive measures against heat exhaustion and heatstroke. This means not working too long outdoors in the sun or in hot environments and avoiding excessive physical activity.
- Always equip yourself with adequate sun protection gear when working outdoors in the sun, such as protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, etc.
- Creating a cool working environment, especially in factories and mines, is significant in preventing heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
- Regularly drink water even if you are not thirsty. It is advisable to drink water mixed with salt or, ideally, oral rehydration solutions, or fruit juices.
- It is recommended to take breaks in a cool place for 15-20 minutes every 45 minutes to an hour of work.
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