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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Injury > H > Heat emergencies

Heat emergencies   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Heatstroke

Definition:

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

Considerations

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

Children, elderly, and obese people are particularly at risk of developing heat illness. Also, people taking certain medications are at increased risk. However, even a top athlete in superb condition can succumb to heat illness if he or she ignores the warning signs.

Without intervention and resolution of the problem, heat cramps (caused by loss of salt from heavy sweating) can lead to heat exhaustion (caused by dehydration), which can progress to heatstroke (which can cause shock, brain damage, organ failure, and death).

Causes

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

Ency. home > Injury > H > Heat emergencies

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