Preventing Heat Related Illness

Contributed by: Amanda Roberts, Pharm.D. Candidate

UMKC School of Pharmacy

Text Box: According to the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Health Studies Branch, from 1979 to 1999 excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Preventing these heat-related illnesses is very important and can be achieved by the following tips: · Drink Plenty of Fluids: Increase your fluid intake regardless of your activity level by drinking 2-4 glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour (water and sports drinks are the drinks of choice- avoid tea, coffee, soda and alcohol which can lead to dehydration). · Replace Salt and Minerals: Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body which can be replaced by sports beverages or fruit juices. · Stay Cool Indoors with Air Conditioning · Wear Appropriate Clothing and Sunscreen: Wear as little clothing as possible and choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat or umbrella along with sunglasses and sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher). · Limit Outdoor Activities to Morning and Evening Hours · Pace Yourself and Take Frequent Breaks · Use a Buddy System: When in the heat, monitor the condition of your friends or loved ones and have them do the same for you.

Text Box: · Monitor Those at High Risk: Anyone can suffer from a heat-related illness but some people are at greater risk-- infants and children (under 4 years), people aged 65 years or older, overweight or overexerted individuals, people who are chronically ill (e.g. heart disease, high blood pressure) or those who take certain medications (e.g. psychotropic, anti-Parkinson’s agents or tranquilizers). Heat exhaustion, a milder form of heat-related illness, can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. It is the body's response to an excessive loss of the water and salt contained in sweat when the body is unable to cool itself properly. Warning signs of heat exhaustion include the following: cool and moist skin with heavy sweating; paleness; muscle cramps (heat cramps); tiredness; weakness; dizziness; headache; nausea or vomiting; fainting; rapid and weak pulse; and fast and shallow breathing. If this occurs, help the victim cool off and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour. Get victim to cooler environment to rest and give ½ glass of water every 15 minutes; have the victim take a cool shower/bath or apply cool wet cloths to the body after removing clothing. Heat stroke (or sometimes called sun stroke) is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. It

Text Box: is the result of extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower the body temperature. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment. Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include the following: an extremely high body temperature (above 103°F, orally); red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating); rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; disorientation; agitation; unconsciousness; twitching; and sluggishness or fatigue. If you see any of these signs, you may be dealing with a life-threatening emergency. Have someone call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim. Get the victims indoors or to a shady area, remove clothing and cool the victim rapidly (e.g. immerse the victim in a tub of cool water, place in a cool shower, spray with cool water from garden hose, sponge with cool water). Do not give the victim fluids. Monitor body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F. If emergency medical personnel are delayed, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions. For more information on the prevention and treatment of these events visit: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heatillness.html.