Summer alarm! What you should know about heat stroke
Doctor's biography
Evelyn Fang, MD MPH
Family Medicine Physician
Heat affects people in a variety of ways. Symptoms include feeling dizzy or faint, decreased heart function, and sometimes other physical symptoms can arise. The effect of heat on people will vary depending on such factors:
Level of activity
Lack of acclimatization
Physical fitness level
Obesity
Hydration level
Other circumstances such as taking certain medications and congenital disorders may all worsen a person’s adaptability
There are categories of reactions to heat. Below is one categorization scheme:
Heat syncope (fainting)-- transient loss or near-loss of consciousness due to blood vessels dilating and dramatic lowering of blood pressure. Symptoms include light-headedness, tunnel vision, pale and sweaty skin, and decreased pulse rate. Most often the core temperature is normal or only mildly elevated. Patients generally recover rapidly with hydration and by moving to a cooler environment.
Heat exhaustion
-- characterized by the inability to maintain adequate heart function (cardiac output). Core body temperature is usually 101 to 104ºF (38.3 to 40.0ºC) at the time of collapse. Symptoms may include fast heart rate and low blood pressure, extreme weakness, dehydration, clumsiness, significant sweating and paleness, headache, cramps/nausea/diarrhea.
-- evidence of high core body temperature 40 to 40.5°C (104 to 105°F) and organ damage without significant neurologic manifestations.
-- a multisystem illness characterized by central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction and additional organ and tissue damage (e.g., acute kidney injury, liver injury, diffuse muscle breakdown/damage) in association with high body temperatures. Core temperature is above 40°C (104°F). CNS dysfunction may include disorientation, headache, irrational behavior, irritability, emotional instability, confusion, altered consciousness, coma, or seizure.
Beijing’s humidity delays evaporation, which is how we cool ourselves off. My suggestions for beating the heat include:
Stay physically fit all year round
Minimize foods that cause dehydration (e.g. caffeine, alcohol)
Replenish fluids and electrolytes frequently (e.g. with water, bananas, soups, etc.)
Parasols are helpful to reduce sun damage to the skin
Be flexible with vacation plans. Don’t plan whirlwind walking tours at noon for your slightly overweight retired parents when they visit in the middle of July
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Fang, please contact the BJU Family Medicine Department at (010) 5927 7500.