This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Elisha Brownfield about recognizing symptoms and seeking treatment for heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Dr. Brownfield is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and a general internal medicine physician at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Overheating can cause illness, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Doctor Elisha Brownfield is here to provide the details. Doctor Brownfield is a Professor of Internal Medicine, and she's a general internal medicine physician at MUSC. Doctor Brownfield, tell us about heat-related illness.
Dr. Brownfield: Well, Bobbi, our bodies are designed to work at a very narrow range of temperatures. And when we get over that, we can have a variety of symptoms, things that you may have heard of like heat cramps, fainting, etc. But, there are some emergency conditions that people need to know about that's related to being overheated. And those are called heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Conner: And what are the symptoms of those two heat related illnesses?
Dr. Brownfield: Heat exhaustion is usually characterized by very heavy sweating. People may get headaches, nausea, dizziness. They're not quite themselves. They can be irritable, feel very thirsty, and sometimes even have a low urine output. In heat stroke, the reason it's called stroke is because the people can have the weakness in one side or another, just like you might have with other types of strokes. They might seem confused, have difficulty talking. They're not making sense. They could even be difficult to wake up or have a seizure. Patients with heat stroke will often be very dry feeling and obviously very hot because they've been overheated.
Conner: Is it important to seek medical attention right away when you have these symptoms?
Dr. Brownfield: Absolutely. These are both emergency conditions. So if someone that you are near seems to be struggling with the heat and they're not quite themselves, they're having any of these symptoms, it's best to call 911. And try as you can to get the person into a cooler area while you're waiting for emergency help.
Conner: Are some people at increased risk of these heat related illnesses?
Dr. Brownfield: Absolutely. There are some conditions like age, extremes of age. So young children and older people, especially over the age of 70. Pregnant women, are at increased risk. People who have conditions like obesity, diabetes, certain neurologic psychiatric conditions, heart problems and people who are taking certain medications are at risk. So think about medicines like diuretics that are going to dry out the body. And there are some very common blood pressure medicines that have that ingredient in there. There's some other medication classes, like people who might be taking medications for seizures. Always best to check with your doctor about your individual medicines to see if you might be at a higher risk for becoming ill when it's very hot.
Conner: What is the treatment typically, when someone does show up at the hospital with heat exhaustion or heat stroke?
Dr. Brownfield: Well, the typical focus of the treatment is going to be cooling patients down. So getting their body temperature cooler. They're also going to look for other problems, like is there dehydration going on? Are there electrolyte problems? And there are things that can be done in the emergency room like intravenous fluids, giving people back electrolytes, etc. So, those sort of things that are needed. The main focus, however, is cooling the patient down.
Conner: Doctor Brownfield, thanks for this information about heat related illness.
Dr. Brownfield: Thanks so much Bobbi.
Conner: From the Radio Studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
