Know the Difference Between Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke

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Summertime in Beijing sees temperatures usually hovering around the low 30’s and down in the 20’s with rain showers. This year, we’ve seen multiple days of 40°C and over! It has been a record first for Beijing to log three straight days above 40°C and to surpass the average number of days of 35°C and above.

Several cities across China, including Beijing, have had their “red” hot weather alert raised (the highest of a four-tier weather alert system) and warned citizens of the heightened risk of heatstroke.

We talked with Dr. Vera Kosova, GP to get insight into at-risk groups for heat exhaustion, what to do in the event of someone collapsing from heatstroke, and how best to cope under extreme weather conditions during a heatwave.

Heat Exhuastion vs Heatstroke

Heat exhaustion is when you become very hot and start to lose water or salt from your body, symptoms may include heavy sweating and a rapid pulse. Heat exhaustion is one of the three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heatstroke being the most severe.

Heatstroke is when the body is no longer able to cool itself and a person’s body temperature becomes dangerously high. Heatstroke is less common but more serious. It can put a strain on the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, and can be life-threatening. If heat exhaustion isn’t spotted and treated early on, there’s a risk it could lead to heatstroke.

Let’s not forget sunstroke!

Sunstroke is when someone is exposed to direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time causing the same symptoms and problems as a heatstroke.

First Aid Response for:

HEATSTROKE
Heat exhaustion or heatstroke can develop quickly over a few minutes, or gradually over several hours or days.

Signs and Symptoms of heat exhaustion can include:

• tiredness and weakness
  
• feeling faint or dizzy
  
• a decrease in blood pressure
  
• a headache
  
• muscle cramps
  
• feeling and being sick
  
• heavy sweating
  
• intense thirst
  
• a fast pulse
  
• urinating less often and having much darker urine than usual

If left untreated, more severe symptoms of heatstroke can develop, including confusion, disorientation, seizures (fits) and a loss of consciousness.
What to do:

+ Get the person to a cool place – air-conditioned room or shade
+ Remove excess clothing – let their skin breathe
+  Cool their skin – use a cool damp cloth on their skin
+ Fan their skin while it's moist – water evaporating from the skin while fanning will help cool the skin down more
+ Give them fluids to drink – ideally water, fruit juice, or a sports drink

Most people should start to recover within 30mins.

When to call for help:

If you suspect that someone has heatstroke, immediately call 999 / 120 or transport the person to a hospital. Any delay seeking medical help can be fatal.

Call for an ambulance when:

+ the person doesn’t respond to the above treatment within 30 minutes
+ the person has severe symptoms, such as a loss of consciousness, confusion or seizures

In the event of a person being unconscious, you should follow the steps above for cooling them down and place the person in the recovery position until help arrives. If they have a seizure, move nearby objects out of the way to prevent injury.

Images: Oasis International Hospital, Pexels

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