Heat Illness

Heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death, when the body is unable to cool itself by sweating. Factors that can lead to heat stress are:

• high temperature and humidity;
• direct sun or heat;
• limited air movement;
• physical exertion;
• poor physical condition;
• some medicines;
• inadequate tolerance for hot workplaces.

During the summer months, you should be especially aware of the dangers associated with high-temperature environments. Heat and humidity combined with physical exertion can do more than just make you uncomfortable—it can lead to a variety of heat-related illnesses that can be debilitating.

Q. Are heat stroke and heat exhaustion the same thing?
A. No, they are two distinct heat-related maladies; heat stroke is the more serious of the two.

Q. What is heat stroke?
A. Heat stroke is an extreme medical emergency that occurs when the body’s ability to regulate its own temperature fails due to overexposure to extreme heat. Symptoms of heat stroke include hot, dry, flushed skin, a rapid heart beat and a very high body temperature—105 degrees F or higher. Seizure and death are inevitable if body temperature rises unchecked, so heat stroke victims must receive immediate medical attention. This makes early, accurate diagnosis crucial. It especially important to watch for the one symptom that separates heat stroke from heat exhaustion or extreme sunburn, an altered mental state exhibited in the victim as confusion or disorientation.

Q. What should you do for someone suffering from heat stroke?
A. Seek medical attention for heat stroke victims immediately (call 911). While waiting for medical assistance to arrive, victims should be cooled as rapidly as possible. Bring victims to a shady area and submerse them in a cool bath or wrap them in wet sheets. Air movement should be increased to maximize evaporative cooling. Spraying victims with lukewarm water and then fanning them with a towel is a good technique for doing this. If ice packs are available, apply them to armpits, groin, and the back of the neck. Moderate the cooling-off process if victims begin to shiver; shivering increases body temperature.

Q. Should you offer the heat stroke victim a cold drink?
A. No. Don’t give the victim anything to drink. Wait for medical professionals to administer intravenous fluids to a heat stroke victim. In a confused mental state, the victim could easily aspirate the liquid into their lungs.

Q. How is heat exhaustion different from heat stroke?
A. Heat exhaustion is more difficult to diagnose than heat stroke, but the prognosis for survival is much better. Victims of heat exhaustion will have cool, pale, clammy skin. Other symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, shallow breathing, rapid pulse and intense thirst. The disorientation or confusion of heat stroke will not be exhibited.

Q. What should you do for someone suffering from heat exhaustion?
A. Cool the victim as rapidly as possible using the same techniques described for treating heat stroke. Victims may drink cool, but not icy, liquids. Most severely exhausted victims may require intravenous fluids, especially if vomiting prevents them from keeping liquids down. Victims should be evaluated by a medical professional.

Q. What can be done to prevent heat-related illnesses?
A. Schedule strenuous activity during cooler parts of the day. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Keep plenty of drinking water on hand. Drink water or other electrolyte replacement drinks often, not just when you feel thirsty. Take extra breaks to drink liquids and cool off. Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Pass the information on to those who don’t know. If you detect any symptoms in yourself or others, begin first aid and seek medical attention immediately.

Click here to view the OSHA heat stress card. Stay cool with hats, cooling bandanas, Gatorade® and other hydration products.