Stay healthy in the heat

“The temperature's risin',” as the song says, and a glance at the calendar suggests “it isn’t surprisin’.” But too much exposure to summer heat can cause potentially serious medical problems.

“The temperature’s risin’,” as the song says, and a glance at the calendar suggests “it isn’t surprisin’.” But too much exposure to summer heat can cause potentially serious medical problems.

“Heat-related illnesses, from least to most severe, are heat cramps, heat tetany (hyper-ventilation, often accompanied by a  tingling  feeling in the hands and fingers), heat exhaustion and heatstroke,” says Michael L. Hochberg, M.D., of EmCare, chairman of emergency medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

Emergency physicians typically see heat-related problems in two main groups, the doctor says. One is healthy people—teens and younger adults—who have been involved in outdoor activities and were unprepared for the extreme heat. Another is especially vulnerable individuals who may lack full awareness of their situation, such as babies and young children or elderly adults.

“Even young, healthy people in their 20s and 30s who work in the heat, such as construction workers, firefighters and police officers, are susceptible to heat-related illnesses,” says Dr. Hochberg. And exertion isn’t always to blame—prolonged exposure alone can cause heatstroke.

“The most important initial treatment is to get into a cool environment,” says Dr. Hochberg. “That can mean the shade or a room with air conditioning or a strong fan. Next, you need to replace lost fluids with plain water or drinks that contain electrolytes, such as Gatorade.”

More alarming are the problems that can befall the very young and the very old. Of course, a small child should never be left alone in a hot environment, such as an automobile. And prolonged hot weather poses a danger to elderly people who may have health problems already. That’s why public health authorities recommend checking on elderly friends, relatives or neighbors.

There are no definite guidelines, Dr. Hochberg  says, for safe temperatures or time limits for heat exposure. “But temperature isn’t as important as humidity,” he says, “because that interferes more with our natural cooling mechanism, which is sweating.”  Most of us will be warned by our bodies to seek relief when heat becomes a danger.