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Health Care Partners on Alert for Complications from Heat-Related Illnesses PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 07 July 2010 09:12
 
As the weather gets hotter, local health care partners are working to spread the word about heat-related illnesses, how to prevent them and what to look for.
 
Allen County Health Commissioner Deborah McMahan reminds us, “With this extreme heat, it is important to remember the people in our community that are most vulnerable to heat related illness.  We should check in on our adult parents to make sure they are staying hydrated in this heat and ensure that our children avoid playing outside in the heat of the day.”
 
 “As best you can, try to avoid heavy exertion during the hottest part of the day and in the direct sunlight,” said B.P. House, MD, medical director of emergency services, Lutheran Hospital. “It is also very important to drink lots of water or sports drinks that contain electrolytes and to avoid alcohol. If you do begin to experience weakness, dizziness or confusion, you need to get out of the heat as soon as possible and seek medical attention.

Heat Prevention Tips:

  • Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. However, if you have a medical condition and are to limit the amount of fluid you drink – ask your doctor how much you should drink during these hot conditions.
  •  Drink fluids that are electrolyte replacement drinks (e.g.gatorade) or water. Avoid sugary, caffeinated or alcoholic beverages as they tend to act like a water pill and make you lose more water.
  • During the heat of the day, stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.
  • Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
  • NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle. When parked in the sun, the temperature in your car can rise 20 F in just 10 minutes.

Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on:

  • Infants and young children
  • People aged 65 or older
  • People who have a mental illness
  • Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure
  • Those who regularly take water pills
  • This is the time to be sure that our vulnerable populations are doing well with this weather. Be sure to visit or call your adult parents at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching. This is the time when members of neighborhood associations and/or houses of worship need to be sure that the vulnerable members of their community are being attended to as well.
  • Take extra precautions with certain medications. Several medications can affect your body's ability to stay hydrated. These include medications that narrow your blood vessels (vasoconstrictors), regulate your blood pressure by blocking adrenaline (beta blockers), rid your body of sodium and water (diuretics), reduce psychiatric symptoms (antidepressants or antipsychotics), or drugs that act as stimulants (amphetamines and cocaine).

 If you must be out in the heat:

  • Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours. KNOW YOUR LIMITS. In particular, monitor your children’s exposure to the heat as they often will try and play even though they may be becoming overheated.
  • Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage.
  • Try to rest often in shady areas.
  • Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).

Heat Illnesses

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids.

Symptoms include:

  • heavy sweating
  • paleness
  • muscle cramps
  • tiredness and weakness
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea or vomiting
  • fainting

The skin may be cool and moist. The pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow. If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.

Seek medical attention and call 911 immediately if:

  • Loss of consciousness, confusion, or delirium
  • Chest or abdominal pain
  • Inability to drink fluids
  • Continuous vomiting
  • Temperature more than 104°F
  • Temperature that is rising despite attempts to cool the person
  • Any person with other serious ongoing medical problems

Otherwise, help the person to cool off, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour. Measures that may be tried include:

  • cool, non-alcoholic beverages, as directed by your physician
  • rest
  • cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
  • an air-conditioned environment
  • Lightweight clothing

Heat stroke, also referred to as heatstroke, is a life-threatening medical condition. The person's cooling system, which is controlled by the brain, stops working and the internal body temperature rises to the point where brain damage or damage to other internal organs may result (temperature may reach 105 F or greater). This is always a medical emergency.

Symptoms include:

  • Unconscious or has a markedly abnormal mental status (dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, or coma)
  • Flushed, hot, and dry skin (although it may be moist initially from previous sweating or from attempts to cool the person with water)
  • May have slightly elevated blood pressure at first that falls later
  • May be hyperventilating (breathing very fast)
  • Rectal (core) temperature of 105°F or more

Call for an ambulance and request information as to what to do until the ambulance arrives. A person with suspected heat stroke should always go to the hospital (or call for an ambulance) at once.