Many people like hot, sultry weather, enjoying the sun's rays. Someone, on the contrary, cannot stand it, and spends all the time in the summer in the shade. However, both are equally at risk of being hit.
Heat stroke is a serious problem arising from excessive overheating of the body. characterized by acceleration of heat generation processes with a simultaneous decrease or deceleration
Heat transfer in the body. This phenomenon can happen not only under the scorching sun, but also in the bathhouse, sauna, when working in the shops, traffic jam. It can occur due to physical exertion or lack of fluid in the body.
In the initial stages of this state of the body, it is important not to miss the signs or symptoms of the precursors. Indeed, often our body is able to cool independently to the desired temperature limits. But in some conditions this is impossible, and the body begins to dehydrate, and the process of sweating is disrupted. Causes of risk are especially important in young children, since the mechanism of heat transfer in them will finally form closer to 7-8 years, and for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Heat stroke: symptoms
In most cases, such a life-threatening condition happens suddenly, not always clearly manifested. However, headaches, dizziness, or a feeling of fatigue often occur. Sometimes, within two hours or even days, such signs of heat stroke as coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, photophobia, severity and joint pain are noted. There may be vomiting, pain in the abdomen, throat, nose, eyes, tingling in various parts of the body, agitation, unreasonable actions, frequent and profuse urination.
Heat stroke: signs, first aid
If you suspect a heat stroke from someone nearby, you must immediately call an ambulance. While waiting, move the victim to a cool, ventilated area, spray with cool water, put moistened towels or clothes on his head and neck. If the victim is conscious, make him drink as much cool or plain, slightly salted water as possible.
In the hot season, wear loose-fitting clothing from aired, natural fabrics in light shades and wear a hat. Limit physical activity in hot and humid weather conditions. Remember to drink more fluids, especially hot teas, but limit your intake of caffeine and carbonated drinks, which can help your body drain fluids. Try not to overeat and refrain from alcoholic beverages. Indoors, open windows, make short drafts, use fans and air conditioners so that you can maintain constant air circulation. Subject to these simple rules, signs of heat stroke, as well as the stroke itself, will bypass you.
Every year, hundreds of people die and tens of thousands are affected by heat and overheating. A person’s stay in a heated space leads to intense and intensive work of the body’s compensatory mechanisms aimed at cooling the body and maintaining its temperature at a relatively constant level. Heat stroke develops as a result of prolonged exposure to the temperature factor on the body and the resulting violation of thermoregulation processes.
So, heat stroke is a condition provoked by overheating of the human body. It is accompanied by a characteristic clinical picture of a failure of temperature self-regulation, which is the result of prolonged exposure to an organism of elevated ambient temperature.
Reasons for the condition
The causes of heat stroke are as follows:
- Long stays in the scorching sun in the summer. If the sun's rays bake your head, then a kind of pathology such as sunstroke occurs. We talk about its features in a separate article.
- Work in close proximity to heat sources. It is typical for workers in foundries, bakers and other professions in the presence of a temperature effect in the production.
- High physical activity in a heated, stuffy room or in the open air in hot weather. A number of physicians distinguish lesions of this kind in a separate type - heat stroke of physical stress.
- High humidity against the background of high ambient temperature indoors or outdoors.
- Inadequate fluid intake.
- Wearing weather-unsuitable clothing. For example, items made from materials that impede the cooling of the body by evaporation of sweat.
- The defeat of the central nervous system with a characteristic clinical picture of inhibition of vital functions - respiration and heartbeat.
- The use of drugs that have an indirect effect on the thermoregulatory functions of the body. This effect is exerted by a number of antihistamines used to stop allergic reactions. Similarly, drugs for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression and other mental health pathologies are affected.
The mechanism of development of heat stroke
When overheated, the human body actively loses fluid, which is excreted as sweat from the surface of the skin. Lack of fluid leads to hard work of the body's regulatory systems. Indeed, as a result, the possibility of full-fledged further heat transfer due to the release and evaporation of sweat from the surface of the body is lost. Light heat stroke develops.
Further development of the pathological process occurs due to the general overheating of the human body. Deprived of moisture, blood thickens and poorly supplies organs with oxygen. The salt balance is disturbed, because, in addition to water, together with sweat, a person loses salt. And the expansion due to overheating of the blood vessels provokes a drop in blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
Who is more prone to thermal shock?
Often this condition occurs in people with certain predispositions. For example, chronic diseases of the endocrine system, affecting changes in the hormonal background, weaken the body's ability to maintain a constant body temperature. This affects both heat production and heat transfer. As a result, people with endocrine pathologies often endure heat strokes and are prone to frostbite and general hypothermia.
Persons with a number of inherited diseases (for example, cystic fibrosis), as well as traumatic brain injuries in the history of the disease, have a predisposition. A similar tendency is expressed in people with chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, metabolic disorders, and obese.
As already mentioned, often thermal exposure is a negative factor in the production environment. This leads to the development of heat stroke in the workplace. The latter is regarded as an occupational disease and threatens liability for the employer.
Painful manifestations are characteristic of the military during long marching in the heat, for backpackers who are not physically prepared for the route.
Symptoms of Heat Damage
In adults, heat stroke symptoms can be divided into objective and subjective. The former are identified during a medical examination, the latter as a result of a patient survey. Subjective signs are nothing more than a description of the patient's well-being.
Objective signs of heat stroke:
- Elevated body temperature.
- Pronounced hyperemia (redness) of the skin.
- Increased heart rate (up to 130 or more contractions per minute).
- Low blood pressure during heat stroke.
- Changes in heart rate characteristics. Weak filling due to reduced blood flow during dehydration, soft pulse as a result of low blood pressure.
Subjective symptoms:
- Headache, dizziness. Possible loss of consciousness.
- Feeling of lack of air.
- Nausea and vomiting due to heat stroke. Perhaps the development of convulsions.
- Muscle pain.
- Psychomotor agitation.
One of the characteristic signs of a painful condition is the lack of perspiration against a background of high body temperature.
A number of subjective sensations - dizziness, loss of attention, stupor and nausea - are the first signs of heat stroke in adults.
Against the background of a decrease in blood pressure and overheating of human tissues, organs and systems, there is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid and an increase in intracranial pressure. This is accompanied by swelling of the tissues of the meninges and brain tissue. These changes lead to the development of headache during heat stroke. Squeezing and bursting, it can be moderate or pronounced. One of the characteristic signs of pain is its constancy, up to eliminating increased intracranial pressure.
Perhaps the development of seizures and spasms of the limbs, including against the background of a lack of sodium in the body. This happens more often in children.
Diarrhea during heat stroke as a result of impaired intestinal motility at first glance is not a characteristic sign. However, it can develop against the background of general stress of the body, and also intensify under the influence of rehydration therapy (replenishment of the fluid supply).
Body temperature during thermal shock
The temperature during thermal shock can vary significantly and range from subfebrile values \u200b\u200bof 37-38 (for mild lesions) to 40-41 degrees Celsius in severe forms of the pathological condition.
The duration of elevated body temperature depends on the severity of the patient's condition and on the ability of the body of a particular patient to recover. As a rule, the heat subsides immediately after the relief of an acute condition. However, situations are possible when, after a heat stroke, the temperature remains for several more days.
What to do with heatstroke: first aid
First aid for thermal shock consists in moving the victim to normal conditions. That is, the first thing to do is to exclude the influence of the temperature factor. It is also necessary to provide the victim with peace in order to reduce heat production from muscle contractions.
With loss of consciousness during heat stroke, it is necessary to bring a person to life. Let him breathe ammonia vapor. They irritate the olfactory receptors and stimulate the activation of the respiratory center.
As soon as the victim regains consciousness, it is necessary to provide him with a plentiful drink. It is better to give non-carbonated mineral water at room temperature. Do not drink with cold water to prevent local hypothermia and, as a consequence, the addition of acute respiratory and other infections.
In case of violation of the vital functions of the body (cardiac arrest, cessation of breathing) during heat stroke, emergency care is provided on site using the ABC system: airway, breathing, circulation. It is a sequence of three stages:
- restoration of airway patency (removal of vomit that interferes with breathing, tilting of the head with fixation of the tongue during its retraction);
- breathing recovery;
- restoration of blood circulation.
The last two stages of first aid for heat stroke are performed simultaneously. A set of measures includes resuscitation - indirect heart massage and artificial respiration in the ratio of two artificial breaths at 30 pressure on the chest.
If you have the appropriate skills and the lack of effectiveness of indirect heart massage, it is possible to perform a precardial stroke technique: apply 1-2 short strokes twice with a hand clenched in a fist. Manipulation is performed from a height of 20-30 centimeters above the surface of the body. After they continue the technique of indirect heart massage until the restoration of the heartbeat or the arrival of the ambulance crew.
What can not be done
First of all, you can not linger. All your actions during heat stroke should be clear and coordinated, since delay in helping the injured person will immediately lead to a deterioration in his condition.
It is forbidden to carry out a sharp cooling of the body - immersion of the affected person in cold water, a cold shower. This can cause shock or damage to internal organs and systems. Indeed, a sharp spasm of blood vessels and redistribution of blood flow will cause an increased load on the heart muscle and lead to a sharp increase in blood pressure. Such a reaction can give more negative consequences for the victim than the overheating itself.
In addition, improper care of heat stroke can lead to the development of pneumonia or the addition of acute respiratory infections.
It is forbidden to drink or rub the victim with alcohol. Under the influence of ethyl alcohol, the tone of blood vessels decreases. Against the background of overheating, their further expansion occurs.
It is important to be wary of taking medications. Some drugs can aggravate metabolic disorders, including thermoregulation processes in the affected body.
How to treat heat stroke?
Heat stroke treatment begins with cooling the body. To do this, remove the outer clothing from the affected person and provide an influx of fresh air. These manipulations can significantly increase the heat transfer of the body. You can activate heat transfer by sending a strong stream of air to the victim using a fan, a hairdryer with cold air blowing, and other methods. Then cold compresses are applied to the arms, legs, and head. You can cool the body by spraying it with water at room temperature - about 21-25 degrees Celsius. Spraying is performed at intervals of five minutes and is repeated 3-4 times.
The treatment of heat stroke in adults does not differ significantly from the treatment of a similar condition in children. However, when providing assistance, it must be borne in mind that the clinical picture in children is usually prone to manifest, that is, pronounced manifestations. Such a reaction of a child’s body is due to the weak stability of thermoregulatory systems and a delayed response to changing environmental conditions. This is especially true for the first years of life, up to the age of six. As a result, the treatment of heat stroke in children takes into account the efficiency of assistance.
Medical treatment for heat stroke also involves the prevention of dehydration. In order not to aggravate heat transfer processes, you should not use warm water - the patient is shown drinking at room temperature. You need to drink in small sips, with short breaks, in order to prevent a sharp effect of a large volume of liquid on the digestive system. Also, this will prevent liquid from entering the respiratory system with possible respiratory failure.
Drug treatment
First, let's talk about common mistakes in taking medications. With heat stroke, ibuprofen, nurofen tablets can be mistakenly used to provide an antipyretic as well as analgesic effect. The active substance - ibuprofen, slows down the synthesis of prostaglandins (mediators of inflammation, heat and pain). However, with thermal damage, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, is useless due to the absence of an inflammatory process as a factor in the development of the disease. As a result, such antipyretic drugs during heat stroke do not lead to the normalization of thermoregulation of the body. Moreover, they can exacerbate the situation due to side effects - a decrease in blood coagulation.
Taking aspirin or paracetamol with heat stroke for the above reason is also not meaningful.
Drug therapy should be based on three areas:
- Cooling the body and fighting dehydration.
- Maintenance of vital organs and systems.
- Prevention of concomitant organ damage.
The drug for the treatment of overheating is dantrolene, which activates the capture of calcium by skeletal muscle and leads to a decrease in the release of thermal energy. It is important to consider that this therapy does not exclude further general superficial cooling of the body.
The main place in the treatment of overheating is rehydration therapy aimed at eliminating dehydration. With thermal shock, rehydron, which is a carbohydrate-salt composition, helps restore water-electrolyte balance. It is used for significant fluid loss - 6-10% of body weight. Replenishment of fluid reserves leads to increased sweating and, as a result, accelerated cooling of the body.
Maintaining the activity of vital organs and systems consists in taking Reformed to restore the volume of circulating blood; taking adrenaline to narrow and mesatone to increase the tone of blood vessels, maintain normal blood pressure. To stabilize the respiratory system, cordiamine is used as a stimulator of the respiratory center, as well as pure oxygen to saturate the blood.
In severe cases, the introduction of the patient into an artificial coma may be required. For this, thiopental anesthesia is used. The latter is used to reduce oxygen demand in brain tissue for conditions such as cerebral edema. In addition, thiopental sodium (active substance) has an anticonvulsant effect.
Heat stroke homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies for heat stroke are also used. Their principle is not based on counteracting the disease, but on the treatment of the like. So, Aconite and Belladonna are used as a means of counteracting heat, Gelsemin - to eliminate dizziness. Medications are taken in accordance with the general recommendations for the use of homeopathic remedies, with mandatory re-administration one to two hours after improvement.
Heat Stroke Recovery
Normalization of the body temperature of the victim may take a long time. The duration of such recovery depends on the severity of the lesion. Doctors recommend observing a certain regime after heat stroke in order to fully resume the work of all organs and systems of the body.
Regular fluid intake helps recover from heat stroke. Moderate physical activity, in particular cardio, has a good effect. Among the types of physical activity, active walking is recommended. It is worthwhile to refrain from strength exercises, as they take a lot of oxygen from the blood, as well as from static and dynamic stress, for example, holding loads.
In addition, it is recommended to eliminate stress and emotional distress. After all, no one has canceled their effects both on the hormonal background and on vascular tone, heart rate and blood pressure in general.
The effects of heat stroke
The possible consequences of heat stroke in an adult can be divided into two groups. These are direct results of temperature effects on the body, as well as complications of another disease that arose against the background of overheating.
Immediate effects include violations in maintaining the temperature balance of the body. They are manifested by fluctuations in body temperature throughout the day, an inadequate reaction of thermoregulatory systems - enhanced heat transfer with slight heating of the body, or vice versa, weakening of heat transfer functions with significant heating. The result of a violation of thermoregulation can be the preservation of elevated body temperature - it happens that after a heat stroke the temperature lasts for several days, less often - weeks.
The second category of consequences is very voluminous. It may include complications that developed during the pathology or its treatment. Consequences such as acute cardiac, respiratory, or renal failure require long-term rehabilitation and can flow into a chronic form. In severe cases, the development of myocardial infarction is possible against the background of overload of the heart muscle, decreased vascular tone, decreased blood oxygen supply; shock as a result of dehydration, decreased vascular tone and a decrease in the volume of circulating blood.
Another complication may be pulmonary edema, which is formed due to the destruction of capillaries in the lung tissue after a sharp rehydration - a significant intravenous administration of fluid.
From the side of the central nervous system (CNS) affected by overheating, a reaction in the form of a coma is possible, as well as persistent changes in the central nervous system. This becomes a consequence of severe hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of brain tissue.
The most severe consequence is death. Most often observed in victims older than fifty years. The age group of patients accounts for about 80% of all deaths from heat stroke. The overall mortality rate is about 20-30%.
Timely provision of medical care minimizes undesirable consequences.
How to avoid heat stroke
Heat stroke prevention includes:
- Complete exclusion of exposure to heat or a time limit. In terms of duration, adults are advised to stay in the heat for no more than two hours in a row, children - no more than half an hour.
- For the purpose of prevention, it is recommended that it be possible to limit physical activity in hot weather and microclimatic conditions. An important aspect is the observance of the regime of work and rest in the heat, holding regulated breaks every 30-40 minutes (depending on the nature and activity of the temperature factor).
- Special attention should be paid to clothing. It should reflect sunlight, and also provide good air and moisture permeability. The presence of a headdress in bright colors prevents local heating of the tissues of the head.
- Drink plenty. In hot conditions, the rate of fluid intake can increase significantly. You can drink not only water, but also milk, mineral water and juices. They contribute to the normalization of metabolic processes, maintain electrolyte balance, saturate the body with vitamins and minerals.
- Correction of nutrition in the direction of a decrease in the diet of fat-containing and meat products. They need to be replaced with fresh vegetable or fruit salads, juices. In addition, it is worth reducing calories and reducing the amount of servings at lunchtime, and replace the hot ones for lunch with cold soups (sorrel soup, cold meat, okroshka and others).
Heat stroke is a sharp disorder of the central nervous system (loss of consciousness, drop in blood pressure, sometimes vomiting and convulsions, respiratory failure, etc.) due to a rapid rise in body temperature.
When heat stroke occurs
Heat stroke is most often observed during physical exertion in conditions of high temperature and high humidity. Cases of thermal shock have been repeatedly described by soldiers on a march in hot weather, by drivers of armored vehicles, stokers, and workers of hot shops. In addition to the climatic conditions of weather, clothing, lack of drinking, etc., the individual characteristics of the organism — its ability to adapt to the effects of adverse weather conditions — are essential in the development of heat stroke. Heat stroke is more prone to old people, children, people suffering from heart diseases, vasomotor disorders, obesity and hyperthyroidism, as well as alcoholics. The development of heat stroke is usually preceded by prodromal phenomena - headache, weakness, increased thirst, fever, sharp redness of the skin. In some cases, the prodromal period is absent and a severe coma occurs suddenly.
Symptoms of Heat Stroke
With heat stroke, the central nervous system and a number of other major organs and systems are primarily and most affected.
Patients complain of headache, dizziness, sharp muscle weakness, drowsiness, apathy, flickering in the eyes, auditory disturbances, discomfort in the heart, nausea, thirst, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
During the examination, a significant increase in body temperature (often above 40 °), flushing of the skin, and sometimes cyanosis of the lips are noted. Often marked asthenisation is noteworthy.
Pulse and breathing are quickened, blood pressure is lowered.
Severe changes can occur on the part of the central nervous system and circulatory apparatus (speech disorder, delirium, hallucinations, dimming of consciousness, coma, collapse). In severe cases, breathing becomes uneven (over 50 per minute), chain-Stokes breathing can be observed, reflexes disappear.
Sometimes pulmonary edema develops.
In some cases, heat stroke is accompanied by acute gastrointestinal disorders. Cases that are accompanied by a very high rise in body temperature (above 41 °) and severe mental disorders are prognostically unfavorable.
It must be remembered that in isolated cases, the clinical phenomena of heat stroke can develop some time after overheating.
Acute overheating of the body can occur in the form of a convulsive disease, the development of which is associated primarily with a sharp violation of the water-salt metabolism and progressive dehydration of tissues. In these cases, along with the above-described phenomena characteristic of heat stroke, seizures come to the fore in the clinical picture. The body temperature with a convulsive form usually rises slightly. Clonic and tonic convulsions of the muscles of the limbs and trunk (most often calves) are noted. Patients complain of sharp muscle soreness during cramps.
In severe cases, the patient’s appearance changes dramatically: the cheeks fall in, the nose is pointed, the eyes are surrounded by dark circles and sink, the lips are cyanotic. The skin is pale, dry and cold to the touch. Heart sounds are deaf, the pulse is up to 10-120 beats per minute, sometimes thread-like, blood pressure is lowered. The picture sometimes resembles epileptiform seizures. In some cases, hemiplegia or bulbar symptoms are noted.
Most often, heat stroke after the cessation of overheating, especially if treatment measures were taken in a timely manner, ends in recovery. In some cases, recovery proceeds slowly: subsequent prolonged febrile states, neuropsychiatric disorders are noted. After recovery, a re-development of clinical phenomena from the central nervous system may be observed.
Pathogenesis and pathological anatomy of heat stroke
According to modern concepts, heat stroke is the result of severe overheating of the body, which, causing changes on the part of the most important organs and systems (primarily the higher brain centers), leads to severe metabolic disorder and, ultimately, to oxygen starvation of cells.
In a pathomorphological study, mainly changes from the central nervous system are found: hyperemia of the brain, pinpoint hemorrhages in the brain.
First aid for heat stroke
The patient should immediately be removed from conditions that cause or contribute to overheating of the body, put in a shade or a cool room and remove clothing from it. Then the victim should be drunk with cold water, tea or coffee. Cooling procedures give a good effect: an ice pack on the head, neck, spine, wrapping in moistened with cool water (temperature 25-26 °) and squeezed sheets. Rapid significant general cooling should not be used. Of great importance is the early use of respiratory and cardiovascular stimulants (camphor, caffeine, cardiazole, lobelia), which help to overcome secondary oxygen deficiency, especially in the central nervous system.
Overheating phenomena, however, do not always go away after a decrease in body temperature. Severe cases of overheating with a significant violation of the functions of the higher parts of the central nervous system sometimes end fatally in a few hours or days. In some cases, the residual effects of a disorder of higher nervous activity may remain for a long time.
With cyanosis, strained pulse, convulsions and delirium, bloodletting (300-500 ml or more) or leeches on the area of \u200b\u200bthe mastoid processes are indicated. It should be remembered that low filling and pulse rate, low blood pressure are contraindications for bloodletting. In cases where intracranial pressure is increased (neck stiffness, Kernig symptom, slow and intense pulse), do a spinal puncture. Indications include artificial respiration and heart massage, subcutaneous or intravenous adrenaline.
With a convulsive form of overheating, rest and warmth (at subnormal body temperature), subcutaneous administration of saline (up to 1 l), intravenous glucose, and food rich in salt are recommended. With a weakening of cardiac activity, camphor, caffeine injections are prescribed.
Persons who have suffered heat and sunstroke need further careful medical supervision.
This summer is not enough in Russia: in Moscow, even in July, the daily temperature is on average no more than 25 ° C. And if you go on vacation much hotter, then the unaccustomed Russian body runs the risk of overheating. Here's how to enjoy the heat and avoid heat stroke.
DARIA ANDREEVA
What is heat stroke?
There are two similar problems that heat causes: heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Both occur when the body loses control of its own temperature from overheating: it no longer maintains stable 36.6 ° C, the body gradually takes on the ambient temperature. The difference between exhaustion and stroke is the severity of the condition.
With heat exhaustion, a person “just” feels sick, has a headache, and sweat pours in a stream. This condition can last several days, and can almost instantly go into heat stroke. In this case, if the person is not helped in time, everything can end in death.
Heat stroke is much more dangerous than heat exhaustion, at this stage you can’t do without a doctor.
Is there a difference between thermal and solar shocks?
Solar (sunstroke, heliosis, siriаsis) used to be called heat stroke received in the sun. Now this term is almost never used. On the sites of Western medical organizations NHS, CDC, Mayo Clinic, he is no longer there.
Sometimes it is written on domestic resources that sunstroke is if you overheat your head in the sun, and heat if you overheat entirely on the street or indoors. However, in the old WHO publications, where the term was still used, there was no such separation.
Symptoms of Heat Stroke
It is impossible to detect heat stroke from oneself: in this state, it is not possible to analyze what is happening. But you can suspect a heat stroke from someone around.
1. The temperature. In 10-15 minutes it rises to 40–41 ˚С. This is felt without a thermometer: the person is hot, as if only from a bath. The skin can be either sweaty or dry.
2. Behavior. Due to malfunctioning of the central nervous system, the victim:
does not immediately understand what they want from him, and slowly answers questions;
becomes irritable;
forgets where he is and what day it is;
falls to the ground in convulsions or freezes like wooden;
it turns off and does not come to its senses for a long time, even if it hurts.
Heat stroke can be avoided by knowing the risks and taking precautions.
The risks
Age
At the age of 15 to 50 years, they rarely overheat "sitting in the sun." To get heat stroke, you need a load: hiking, training, physical labor. Therefore, first of all, at risk are walking tourists and athletes.
However, this does not mean that everyone else is safe: a safari, a full day heat excursion, a music festival under the scorching sun are also “suitable” conditions for overheating.
The most vulnerable are children under 4 and adults over 65. They can get heat stroke even in the absence of physical activity - on the beach or on the park's sunny lawn. The body of children regulates their temperature worse, and the elderly have a weaker sense of thirst, and they sweat less.
Temperature
How we perceive air temperature depends on humidity. When the humidity is high, the sweat evaporates worse, and it seems to us that the street is hotter than it really is. For instance:
30 приС at a humidity of 40% we feel like 29 ˚С
30 приС at a humidity of 100% - as 44 ˚С
So that we are not deceived when we look at a thermometer, smart people came up with a heat index. It shows how we will actually feel with different combinations of temperature and humidity.
If you plan to spend a lot of time outdoors in the heat, check the table. The “red flag" is index 33. After it, the chances of heat exhaustion and stroke increase.
Precaution
1. Do not take a large tour on the first day of vacation. The body is not yet accustomed to heat, and the risk of heat stroke is high. In the early days, get to know the city, go to the local market, take a walk along the main streets. There are usually many cafes and air-conditioned shops to hide from the heat. And if your vacation didn’t begin before you took a swim in the sea, go ahead, but in the evening, when it’s easier on the street.
2. Cool. Return to the hotel regularly, refresh yourself in the shower. Or go where there is air conditioning: in shopping centers, cafes and shops. If you relax for several hours a day from the heat under air conditioning, the risk of heat stroke is reduced. An alternative is a fan, but if the temperature is above 35 ˚C, it will not help to cool.
3. Wear light, spacious clothing.that leaks moisture. It will allow air to circulate freely, and does not hurt to sweat.
stylish black shirt
stylish black pants
stylish black floor dress
stylish tracksuit made of polyester
stylish wig
colorful cotton shirt on a white background
wide long shorts in light colors
light linen dress
sportswear made of special synthetics
wide brim hat
4. Use sun cream. Burnt skin sweats less, which means it cools worse. From this, sometimes the body temperature rises. And if you already have 38.5 ˚C, then there is not much left until 40 ˚C.
To avoid burns, apply sunscreen to exposed skin with UVA / UVB protection and SPF 15 or more. On a long street tour, repeat every 2 hours. If you sweat - more often, on the beach after each swim.
5. To drink. Water helps us sweat. Sweat is a natural fire extinguisher. The body releases it through the skin and cools. When there is little fluid in the body, he has nothing to sweat. And instead of cooling, the body begins to overheat.
Together with sweat and urine, we lose not only water, but also salt. If you stay in the heat for a long time and replenish only the liquid, the sodium level in the blood will decrease. From this, nausea, vomiting, headache, weakness, confusion, cramps can begin. So if you have a long excursion ahead, take isotonic with you.
But alcohol enhances urination, which increases the risk of dehydration.
6. Eat light and salty. When digesting heavy high-calorie foods, a lot of energy is released, the body heats up more strongly ─ the risk of getting a hit is higher. Do not overdo breakfast: on the buffet, instead of potato salad with mayonnaise, choose fruit salad or vegetables with hummus.
And if you are going on a day trip, check that there is something salty in the snack: nuts, crackers, crispy straws. It is believed that the best way to make up for the loss of salt with sweat is to eat.
7. Get enough sleep. In general, it is advisable to sleep about 8 hours a day. Studies confirm that after sleepless nights or lack of sleep, heat is harder to tolerate. So, it's still better to relax fully.
Help
If one of those around has suffered a heat stroke, you can’t hesitate. We need to act globally in two directions: cool the victim and arrange for his delivery to the hospital. If nothing is done, he will die in the coming hours from a blow or in the coming days from complications.
✅ Call an ambulance. In case of thermal shock, the injured must be examined by doctors.
✅ Remove from heat. A well-ventilated room with air conditioning is suitable: cafe, shopping center, shop. If you are on a hike or on excursions, move the victim to a tourist bus and set the air conditioner to the coldest mode. At worst, take the person under the tree.
✅ Cool. The sooner the temperature returns to normal, the sooner the organs and brain stop suffering from heat.
Immerse the victim in cold water: a pool, a bath with water and ice, a lake. Almost everyone who was knocked down in cold water survived the heat stroke.
Immersion in water is the most effective way to save a person with heat stroke.
There is no way to organize a bath - pour or spray with cold water, cover with wet towels, wipe with a sponge. To speed up the cooling, direct a fan at the victim or fan. These methods are slower than a bath, but they also help.
If you are on the street, a hose for irrigation of lawns, a city fountain, a beach shower, water from the sea is suitable. Look around if there is a cafe, bar or restaurant nearby, try to persuade the manager to let you into the kitchen to douse the victim entirely from the dishwasher, or ask for a jug of ice water.
✅ Massage the skin. The body responds to cold by narrowing of blood vessels and trembling. But with thermal shock, this effect slows down the cooling of internal organs. CDC experts advise vigorously massaging the skin to increase the cooling effect of the body.
✅ Drink coldif a person is able to swallow.
✅ Raise your legs. Most likely the victim sweated and drank little. Now there is not enough fluid in the vessels, so the pressure is low and the organs are poorly supplied with blood. If the legs are above the body - a person will quickly come to his senses.
⛔️ Give antipyretics. They do not help to bring down the temperature, which rose due to the heat. If you still need medication, they will be administered by an emergency doctor.
⛔️ Leave the bath with the injured. If a person loses consciousness, he will choke and drown.
Recipe
1. If you are hot and start to fade - go to a cool place, drink some water.
2. Protect children and the elderly from the heat — they often overheat.
3. Pay attention to the humidity outside the window. The higher it is, the higher the risk of overheating.
4. In the heat, wear light, light clothing and a hat, smear with sun cream and stay close to air conditioners.
5. Plan long excursions for the last days of vacation. Have a good night's sleep in front of them, grab water and a salty snack with you, give up alcohol.
6. If someone near you felt ill - touch the skin. If it burns, and the person behaves inappropriately or faints - call an ambulance.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Heat Stroke
Despite large fluctuations in ambient temperature, humans and other mammals are able to maintain a constant body temperature, balancing the generation of heat with its output. When increased heat disrupts the mechanisms of heat transfer, body temperature rises, which could potentially lead to heat shock. Excessive heat denatures proteins, destabilizes phospholipids and lipoproteins, and thins membrane lipids, which can lead to cardiovascular collapse, multiple organ failure, and ultimately death.
Heat stroke is characterized by hyperthermia up to 400 ° C and higher, which can be accompanied by a change in mental state, agitation, irritability, confusion, up to a coma. With the classic form of heat stroke, the skin becomes hot and dry to the touch, while heat stroke associated with stress can be wet. As the temperature rises, hyperemia (redness) of the skin increases. Cramps, nausea, and even vomiting may occur. Symptoms of heat stroke also include shortness of breath, tachycardia, severe headache.
Forms of heat stroke
There are two forms of heat stroke. Heat stroke associated with physical exertion more often occurs in young people, who for a long period of time intensively engage in physical activity in a hot environment. The classic, not related to physical activity, heat stroke more often affects elderly people suffering from chronic diseases, children and adolescents. Classical heatstroke occurs during waves of ecological heat and is more common in areas where periods of prolonged hot weather are usually not observed. Both forms of heat stroke are associated with high morbidity and mortality.
Causes of Heat Stroke
Heat stroke can occur as a result of prolonged exposure to elevated ambient temperatures (classic heat stroke) or intense physical activity during hot weather (heat stroke associated with physical activity). Higher risk of getting heat stroke in people who are not used to high temperature. In addition, additional risk factors for heat stroke of any form are: the use of alcohol, which can affect the body's ability to regulate temperature; wearing excess clothing that interferes with the evaporation of sweat and cooling the body; insufficient fluid intake.
Heat stroke complications
Depending on how long the elevated body temperature lasts, heat stroke can lead to a number of serious complications. The most serious complications of heat stroke, including cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, can lead to irreversible damage to vital organs and become fatal.
Diagnostics
Heat Stroke Diagnostics
Diagnosis of heat stroke is not difficult for doctors, however, additional laboratory and instrumental studies can be prescribed to confirm the diagnosis and exclude other possible causes of the developed symptoms, especially in patients with impaired consciousness. These studies include: a general and biochemical blood test with a mandatory determination of the content of sodium and potassium in the blood serum; Analysis of urine; blood gases ECG. Other studies may be prescribed to determine the degree of damage to internal organs, for example, chest x-ray, EEG, ultrasound of the kidneys, etc.
Treatment
Heat stroke treatment
The primary concern in the treatment of heat stroke is cooling the body to normal temperature to prevent the development of damage to the brain and other vital organs. For this, immersion in a bath with cold water, cool wraps, the use of cooling blankets and ice can be used. After normalizing the temperature, specialized therapy is carried out aimed at correcting the water-electrolyte balance and the prevention of cardiovascular disorders. Heat stroke treatment may also include the use of anticonvulsants, sedatives, drugs to improve cerebral blood flow. If heat stroke is accompanied by deep oppression or loss of consciousness, then treatment should be carried out only in stationary conditions.
Prevention
Heat Stroke Prevention
Heat stroke can be prevented if certain rules are followed. Prevention of heat stroke includes: wearing loose light clothing in hot weather, protecting the head with a hat (hat, scarf, panama, etc.), using sunscreens, drinking extra fluids, and limiting physical activity during the hottest hours of the day. If it is not possible to avoid working in hot weather, then you need to drink more fluid and relax more often in a cool place.