Heatstroke
Introduction:
When starting summer, because of extreme hot many conditions
like nose bleeding (epistaxis), skin sunburn, and heatstroke can appear. The
condition of nose bleeding has already been discussed and explained for more
information you can visit the blog page:
https://healthandsaferpopulation.blogspot.com/2022/07/nose-bleeding-epistaxis.html
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZNp5djpsIs
heatstroke is a serious problem and can be life-threatening
if not managed immediately. Heatstroke is a condition that happened when
prolonged standing or physical exertion in the sun causes the body to increase
its temperature above 40°C causes the body to lose fluid and overexertion. If the
condition is not treated immediately can cause organ damage to the brain,
heart, muscles, and kidneys.
https://youtu.be/WMFgfkZhbiw
Causes of heatstroke:
The heatstroke occurs when the body can’t cool down by itself the
temperature of the body increases to 40°C or more. The responsibility of the
hypothalamus is part of the brain to regulate body temperature. The body takes
more heat, which affects the brain and vital organs, causing the hypothalamus not to work properly and can’t cool the body, which can lead to coma if not
managed properly.
Signs and symptoms:
The signs and symptoms of heatstroke are as follows:
1-
The body will increase the temperature
to 40°C
which is the first sign the person can feel flushed skin
2-
The body compensates for the
increased temperature by producing more sweat to reduce temperature.
3-
Because of more sweat the
body will be dehydrated causing organ problems like
·
For the brain the person
can be having headaches, be confused, irritable, have seizures, and become
comatose.
·
For the stomach the person
can feel nausea and vomiting
·
For the lungs breathing
will increase and become rapid
·
For the heart the beat and
pulse will be increased
·
In general, the patient feels
very tired, thirsty, has muscle cramps, and weakness.
These signs and symptoms need immediate management and
emergency care that can cause death.
The complications of heatstroke:
The complications of heatstroke as its damages the vital
organs that can cause the following:
1-
Effect on the respiratory
system and can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome.
2-
The brain can be damaged
and swelling
3-
The kidney and liver damage
cause kidney and liver failure.
4-
Stomach upset and cause
metabolic dysfunction.
5-
Damage in nerves and
effects on sensory and motor function
6-
The blood flow will reduce
and can’t reach the heart properly causing circulatory problems.
Because of complications of heatstroke, the management must
be fast and quick to reduce the chance of organ damage.
Emergency management of heatstroke:
The heatstroke must be managed quickly because of damage to
vital organs and death so the emergency
management are:
1-
Move the person who has
heatstroke into the shade or indoor
2-
Remove extra clothes or
clothes that cause heat and the person must wear light clothes.
3-
Cool the affected person
with a cool shower, spraying with cool water, wet towels with cool water, and
putting it on the person’s body like the head, neck, armpits, and groin areas.
4-
If the person is conscious
let him drink water because of loss of fluid and dehydration.
5-
Take the person to the
nearest emergency for further management.
When the patient arrived to the hospital the doctor will
order to do blood tests and urine tests to identify the organ damaged and the
severity of the heatstroke and will order to:
1-
Give the patient
intravenous fluid for rehydration.
2-
Ice bath to cool the body
3-
Medications to prevent
convulsions. and seizures
4-
Oxygen therapy to improve
oxygenation and blood circulation
Prevention of heatstroke:
The heatstroke can be prevented by:
1-
Drinking more water
especially if working and doing exercises.
2-
Wear light clothes
especially in summer because can cause excessive loss of water from the body.
3-
Avoid going to sun and heat
in summer especially from 11 am to 3 pm
4-
Avoid exhaustive and
vigorous exercises.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20353581
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21812-heatstroke
https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html