Heat Stroke Statistics

How can you determine Heat Stroke Statistics and the effects of heat stroke and how to prevent heat stroke.

Prolonged exposure to high heat and loss of fluids through perspiration causes the body to react in sometimes dangerous and lethal ways. The body produces a half of gallon of perspiration to cool it every hour. If there's not enough fluid or the heat overwhelms the body, the person develops a heat related illness.

There are several levels of heat related illness. Heat cramps being the first and least dangerous. The next and more dangerous is heat exhaustion. Finally, some people have a condition known as heat stroke or complications of heat stroke one of the most severe forms of heat related illnesses.

Heat Cramps

Heat cramps aren't dangerous but they can be quite uncomfortable. The muscles react to the loss of fluids and create a series of spasms and painful muscle cramps.

Heat Exhaustion

The body requires water and salt to maintain it's vital functions. When a person has too much exposure to heat or combines heat with vigorous exercise, they experience a loss of both the bodily fluids and salt through the process of perspiration. Left without enough fluid to perspire and cool itself through sweating, the person may experience heat exhaustion.

Heat Stroke

If a person exposes themselves to too much heat and too little fluid, it overwhelms the body's heat-regulating functions. In this case, the person experiences a life threatening circumstance and needs immediate medical attention. Heat stroke causes the body temperature to increase dramatically, sometimes as high as 106 degrees.

High humidity is another cause of heat stroke. Even though the body produces enough perspiration, if the air contains too much moisture, the perspiration doesn't evaporate and cool the body.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

Initially people show symptoms of heat exhaustion. These are nausea, fatigue, weakness, headache, vomiting, muscle cramps and dizziness. When these symptoms of heat strokes occur, it's time to take action and get out of the heat, increase water consumption and cease strenuous activities.

Other people however don't show the preliminary signs of heat exhaustion but immediately develop signs of heat stroke with no warning. They show absence of perspiration and have hot, red, flushed faces. The have higher than normal body temperatures with difficulty of breathing or a rapid heart rate. There is a common factor of confusion, strange behavior, hallucinations, disorientation or other related mental conditions as the body strives to fend off the heat. This is much like a person with a high fever. The individual with heat stroke may go into a coma or seizures as the condition progresses.

Medical heat stroke treatment

Heat stroke is a serious condition and people need immediate medical care. treating heat stroke needs Immediately reductions of the person's body temperature by sponging or soaking their body with cool water, putting ice packs on places where the blood is close to the surface or near vital organs such as armpits, the groin, head or neck. To treat heat stroke seek immediate medical treatment for the person.

Prevalence and Heat Stroke Statistics

While many cases of heat stroke statistics ,heat-related disorders aren't lethal, about 175 to 200 people die from heat stroke each year in the United States. If there's a major heat wave, the number of deaths can increase to over 1500 people.

Go to Stroke Symptoms from Heat Stroke Statistics