Content
The first signs of heat stroke usually include redness of the skin, especially if you are exposed to the sun without any protection, headache, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and fever, and there may even be confusion and loss of consciousness in the most severe cases.
Heat stroke is more common in children and the elderly due to less ability to adapt to extreme conditions. Whenever there is a suspicion of heat stroke, it is very important to take the person to a cool place, remove excess clothes, offer water and, if the symptoms do not improve in 30 minutes, go to the hospital, so that it is properly evaluated.
Main symptoms
Heatstroke can happen when a person stays for a long time in a very hot or dry environment, such as walking for hours in the hot sun, doing strenuous physical activity or spending a lot of time on the beach or in the pool without adequate protection, which favors the increase body temperature, resulting in some signs and symptoms, the main ones being:
- Increased body temperature, usually 39ºC or more;
- Very red, hot and dry skin;
- Headache;
- Increased heart rate and rapid breathing;
- Thirst, dry mouth and dry, dull eyes;
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea;
- Unconsciousness and mental confusion, such as not knowing where you are, who you are or what day it is;
- Fainting;
- Dehydration;
- Muscle weakness.
Heat stroke is a serious and emergency situation that arises when one has been exposed to high temperatures for a long time, so that the body cannot regulate the temperature and ends up overheating, which leads to the malfunction of the various organs. Learn more about the health risks of heat stroke.
Symptoms in children
The symptoms of heat stroke in children or babies are very similar to those in adults, including an increase in body temperature to 40 ° C or more, very red, hot and dry skin, the presence of vomiting and thirst, in addition to dry mouth and of the tongue, chapped lips and crying without tears. However, it is very common for the child to also become tired and sleepy, losing the desire to play.
Due to the less capacity to adapt to external conditions, it is important that the child with heat stroke is taken to the pediatrician so that it can be evaluated and the most appropriate treatment can be recommended, thus avoiding complications.
When to go to the doctor
It is recommended to go to the doctor when the symptoms are very intense, do not improve over time and fainting occurs, it is important that the treatment is started soon afterwards to avoid complications. In such cases, it is necessary to administer serum directly into the vein to replace lost minerals.
However, in most cases of heat stroke the recommendation is that the person be taken to a less hot environment and drink plenty of water, as this way it is possible to favor the normal functioning of the body's sweating mechanism, lowering the body temperature. See what to do in case of heat stroke.