What Is Heat Stroke?
Heat stroke is an injury to internal organs caused by an excessively high body temperature. It can damage the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and other organs. Sometimes, the outcome is death.
There are two types of heat stroke, and everyone is susceptible, athletes and couch potatoes alike. Classic or non-exercise-induced heat stroke affects those exposed to extremely hot environments for an intolerable length of time.
“Most at risk are elderly persons and infants, those with chronic illness like cardiovascular disease, and people on certain medications. Individuals who drink large amounts of caffeine and alcohol during this time also are more susceptible,” explains Marilyn J. Heine, MD, an emergency physician in Bucks County.
Exertional or activity-induced heat stroke, on the other hand, “primarily affects athletes, laborers, and soldiers—persons who overdo physical activity in very hot temperatures,” according to Heine.
Football players—who wear body-covering uniforms and practice in the hottest temperatures—are especially prone to dehydration and heat stroke.
So, how can you predict when the heat is most likely to take its toll? Relative humidity of at least 70 percent and temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius are your first warning signs.
Last Updated: 12/17/2008