Sunstroke is the common name for conditions that result from overheating the body. Doctors usually use the more specific terms heatstroke and heat exhaustion. Sunstroke is a form of heatstroke caused by being exposed to the sun too much or too long.
Heatstroke
usually results when the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body break down. The body maintains its normal temperature in several ways. Among them is the cooling effect that results when sweat evaporates. Researchers found that people who work in excessive heat for a long time sweat less and less. They may stop sweating altogether and their body temperature rises to dangerous levels. Doctors consider true heatstroke a medical emergency because the high body temperatures cause brain damage.
People with heatstroke rarely are aware that they have stopped sweating. But they suddenly notice a rapid rise in temperature. The body temperature may be 111.2 F (44 °C). The skin feels hot and dry, and the pulse is full and pounding. Soon the patient’s breathing becomes irregular, the pulse weakens, and coma develops (see Coma ).
People with heatstroke need immediate treatment. Those who are not treated may die. A doctor should be called at once. The most important thing is to reduce the temperature as quickly as possible. Doctors often place the patient in a bathtub filled with lukewarm water. They apply cold compresses or ice packs to the head and neck. They also may fan the patient or place the patient near an electric fan. When the patient’s temperature drops to about 102.2 F (39 °C), the drastic cooling measures usually are stopped.
Heat exhaustion
, or heat prostration, is less severe than heatstroke. It generally occurs in people who work near boilers, or in places with high temperatures and humidity. People with heat exhaustion become weak and dizzy and fall into a stupor. They usually perspire freely, and their temperature drops below normal. Their condition is like that of a person in shock (see Shock ). These people should be removed to a cooler location. But because of their subnormal temperature, they should be kept warm. People who work under conditions that might produce heat exhaustion drink large amounts of water and often take salt tablets to replace salt lost from their body when they sweat.
See also Hyperthermia .
