Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR
In summer, heat waves can strike areas of the country where cooler climates
are the norm. In these areas, many homes do not have air conditioning, and
surviving in the extreme temperatures becomes a challenge for everyone. The
following steps can help you keep cool during a heat wave even if you have
an air-conditioned home.
Use box fans and ceiling fans
to promote air circulation throughout
your home. Opening doors in the house and using box fans to push hot air
outdoors can function as an ?exhaust? system and draw cooler evening air
into the house. In the cooler evenings, open all windows and promote as much
air circulation as possible. When the sun rises, close all doors and
windows, making sure to close curtains and blinds as well, to keep the
indoors cool for as long as possible. When the outside air cools to a lower
temperature than inside (usually in the evenings or at night), open up the
windows and turn on the fans again.
Take advantage of the cooling power of water. Fill buckets or basins and soak your feet. Wet towels and
bandannas can have a cooling effect when worn on the shoulders or head. Take
cool showers or baths, and consider using a spray bottle filled with cold
water for refreshing spritzes
throughout the day.
Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat-related illness, and
requires immediate medical attention.
Certain individuals, such as the
elderly, infants and young children,
the obese, and those with chronic medical conditions are at increased risk
for developing heat-related illness.
Treatment for heat-related illness generally includes moving the
individual out of the hot environment, implementing cooling measures as
needed, rest, and rehydration.
Prevention of heat-related illness is best accomplished through proper
planning and preparation, such as increasing fluid intake, wearing
appropriate clothing and sunscreen, remaining in a cool environment,
acclimating yourself to the hot environment, and using common sense.
What is a heat-related illness?
A heat-related illness is a medical condition that may occur as a result of heat exposure. Even short periods of high temperatures can cause serious health problems. Heat-related illness encompasses a spectrum of conditions that range from minor illnesses to life-threatening medical emergencies. There are several heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), and heat rash.
Summer can bring heat waves with unusually high temperatures that can last for days and sometimes weeks. It is estimated that approximately 700 people die annually due to heat-related illness. In the summer of 1980, a severe heat wave hit the United States, and nearly 1,700 people lost their lives from heat-related illness. Likewise, in the summer of 2003, tens of thousands of people died in Europe from an extreme heat wave. High temperatures put people at risk.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating. It can occur at any age and it appears as a rash that itches or feels prickly, and looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters. Pictures of heat rash are included.
Muscle spasms are involuntary muscle contractions that come on suddenly and are usually quite painful. Dehydration, doing strenuous exercise in a hot environment, prolonged muscle use, and certain diseases of the nervous system may cause muscle spasms. Symptoms and signs of a muscle spasm include an acute onset of pain and a possible bulge seen or felt beneath the skin where the muscle is located. Gently stretching the muscle usually resolves a muscle spasm.
Dehydration is the excessive loss of body water. There are a number of causes of dehydration including heat exposure, prolonged vigorous exercise, and some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The best way to treat dehydration is to prevent it from occurring.
Heat stroke (heatstroke or sun stroke) is a form of hyperthermia. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not promptly and properly treated. Symptoms of heat stroke include: high body temperature, absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behavior, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure, and coma. A victim of heat stroke must receive immediate treatment to avoid permanent organ damage.
Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement fluids. Warning signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, and fainting.
Rhabdomyolysis is a rapid deterioration and destruction of skeletal muscle. Some of the causes of rhabdomyolysis include severe burns, muscle trauma, coma, seizures, electrolyte imbalance, medications (statins), viruses, bacteria. Treatment of rhabdomyolysis depends on the cause.
Sun sensitivity (photosensitivity) is an inflammation of the skin induced by the combination of medications or substances and sunlight. The affect on the skin is redness, which looks similar to a sunburn. Generally, these reactions are either phototoxic or photoallergic. Phototoxic drugs are more common than photoallergic drugs. Symptoms of phototoxic reactions are a burning and stinging sensation and then redness. Symptoms of photoallergic reactions are itching, redness, swelling, blisters of the affected area. Treatment generally is discontinuation of the medication and topical application of creams.
Medical shock is a life-threatening medical condition. There are several types of medical shock, septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock. Causes of shock include heart attack, heart failure, heavy bleeding (internal and external), infection, anaphylaxis, spinal cord injury, severe burns, chronic vomiting or diarrhea. Low blood pressure is the key sign of sock. Treatment is dependant upon the type of shock.
Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of disease. Regular exercise can also reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety. There are fitness programs that fit any age or lifestyle.
Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity or work in a hot humid environment. Symptoms of heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs that occur in association with strenuous activity. Heat cramps is part of a group of heat-related illnesses.
The cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is unknown. The risk of SIDS peaks in infants 2-4 months of age. SIDS is more common among male infants, particularly African American and Native American infants, during the winter months. Putting the baby to sleep on his/her back, avoiding fluffy, loose bedding, using a firm mattress, and avoiding co-sleeping may help to prevent SIDS.
First aid is a complicated subject and it is situation-specific. First aid is the help and medical assistance that someone gives, not only to an injured person, but to a person who is sick. Preparedness is a key element of first aid, like having basic medical emergency kits in your home, car, boat, or RV. Cuts, puncture wounds, sprains, strains, nosebleeds are one type of injury that may require first aid; heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and heat stroke are examples of more critical first aid emergencies.
Rhabdomyolysis (RAB-DOE-MY-O-LIE-SIS) is the rapid destruction of skeletal muscle resulting in
leakage into the urine of the muscle
protein myoglobin.
There are three different types of muscle in the human body;
smooth muscle,
skeletal
muscle, and
heart muscle.
The
skeletal muscle is the muscle of movement of the body (moving the skeleton at the joints). Skeletal muscle is affected by
rhabdomyolysis.
Myoglobin is a protein component of the muscle cells that is released into
the blood when the skeletal muscle is destroyed in rhabdomyolysis.
Creatine
kinase is an enzyme (a protein that facilitates chemical reactions in the body)
also in the muscle cells. The level of each of these proteins can be
measured in blood to monitor the degree of muscle injury from rhabdomyolysis. Myoglobin can
also be measured in samples of urine.
