8 Hidden Heat Stroke Warning Signs Doctors Can't Ignore

8 Hidden Heat Stroke Warning Signs Doctors Can't Ignore

M Hasan    5:35 PM   

Understanding Heat Stroke: Causes, Symptoms, and Immediate Actions

There are few things that feel better than a brisk walk outside on a warm, sunny day. However, if you're working hard in sweltering temperatures, you may be putting yourself at risk for heat stroke. While it does take time for heat exhaustion to develop into heat stroke, knowing the possible heat stroke symptoms can be the difference between staying safe and healthy and putting your body in a dangerous position.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are similar but have some key differences. Heat exhaustion comes down to a couple of factors: exposure to uncomfortably high temperatures over several days and a lack of fluids. This can lead to lots of sweating, rapid breathing, and a fast but weak pulse.

Types of Heat Stroke

There are two forms of heat stroke, explained by J. Luke Pryor, Ph.D., A.T.C., C.S.C.S., a kinesiologist and researcher in the Hydration, Exercise, and Thermoregulation Laboratory in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Buffalo.

Classic Heat Stroke

Classic heat stroke generally comes on gradually and affects very young and elderly people who have trouble maintaining their core body temperature. People who don’t have a way of cooling down—say, folks who live in a building without air conditioning during a heat wave—are also at risk of classic heat stroke. In these instances, the person may not realize they’ve become hot because their body temperature is steadily rising over many hours or days.

Exertional Heat Stroke

Exertional heat stroke is more sudden and occurs in people who are active in high temperatures. In fact, heat-related illness can come on within hours on particularly hot and humid days. It can affect anyone exercising in the heat, but those who are doing strenuous activity—such as endurance athletes (like runners and soccer players), football players (who sweat it out in stifling equipment), and laborers (like construction workers)—face the highest risk.

“When we begin to exercise, we produce an incredible amount of heat,” Pryor explained. Typically, our sweat cools us down, but with exertional heat stroke, that doesn’t happen. When your organs overheat (which can occur during outdoor workouts on sweltering days) your body’s temperature-control center can malfunction.

So in turn, your internal temperature rises—and when it reaches 104 or 105°F, that’s when things start to get really dangerous. When you get that hot, the cells inside of your intestines get damaged, which can leak toxic substances into your blood and cause multiple organs to fail, Pryor said.

8 Heat Stroke Symptoms to Look For

How do you know if you're dealing with heat stroke? Experiencing one or more of these signs means it's time to take action.

1. High Body Temperature
   If your body temperature hits 104°F or higher, you could be dealing with heat stroke. If you take someone’s temperature and it’s lower than that—but they still exhibit other heat stroke symptoms or feel that something is wrong—you should still do what you can to cool them down and get medical help.

2. Muscle Cramps
   Also known as heat cramps, muscle cramps can be one of the earliest symptoms of heat-related illness during exercise. You may experience painful spasms—particularly in your legs, arms, or abdomen—when you sweat it out in high heat.

3. A Lack of Sweat—or an Abundance of It
   When you spend a long time in extreme heat, your body stops trying to maintain its core internal temperature. So during traditional heat stroke, you may actually stop sweating. However, you’ll probably start sweating like crazy if you’re experiencing exertional heat stroke.

4. Confusion or Trouble Walking
   Exertional heat stroke throws your central nervous system out of whack, so a lack of coordination, confusion, aggression, or the inability to walk are huge red flags.

5. A Poundin Headache
   A throbbing headache is another common sign of heat stroke. This symptom is typically due to dehydration or the overall impact heat stroke has on the central nervous system.

6. Dizziness, Nausea, or Vomiting
   As you continue to sweat, your body will become increasingly dehydrated. The heat will start to affect various organs, all of which can exacerbate any of the heat stroke symptoms on this list and can lead to dizziness, fainting, nausea, or vomiting.

7. Skin Redness
   In instances of both traditional and exertional heat stroke, the body directs blood flow toward the skin as it tries to cool itself down, making it appear red.

8. Elevated Heart Rate or Trouble Breathing
   Your heart is put under an immense amount of stress when you overheat. Why? It needs to pump harder and faster to make sure your body’s natural cooling systems are working to keep your temperature balanced.

What to Do If You Think Someone Has Heat Stroke

The best thing you can do is rapidly and aggressively cool the person down while you wait for help to arrive. Here are a few measures he said you can take:

• Move the person to a cooler place. Get them out of the sun and into the shade or a cool room indoors.
• Fill a tub with ice water and have the person soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• If a tub is not available, hose them down with cold water, pour a bottle of water over their body, or take them to a nearby lake, river, or anywhere with cool water.
• Get them to drink water or a sports drink. This might be difficult if the person is extremely light-headed, confused, and irritable, so you might need to wait until they cool down before they can tolerate fluids.