Life Threatening Signs of Heat Stroke and Symptoms for Medical Emergency

The most serious and life-threatening heat illness is heat stroke. Exercising in hot and humid conditions can cause you body to become overheated resulting in its inability to control its own temperature. This lost control occurs when your body temperature rapidly increases and sweating mechanism fails, giving rise to its inability to cool itself down.

If your body (or any body) temperature rises to 106°F, or more, in the short span of about 10 to 15 minutes, this stroke of heat can cause death or permanent disability without emergency medical treatment.

Warning signs for a heat stroke do vary, but some of the following are more common:

  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • confusion
  • unconsciousness
  • rapid, strong pulse
  • throbbing headache
  • red, hot, dry skin (no sweating)
  • extremely high body temperature (above 103°F)

If you experience these signs, or witness them in somebody else, you are dealing with a life-threatening medical emergency situation. Get medical assistance as soon as possible, and in the meantime, begin cooling the overheated body down by any means possible.

Some examples of body cooling actions that are often possible in various situations:

  • remove clothing
  • no alcohol to drink
  • fan or blow air across the skin
  • getheat stroked body into the shade
  • continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F
  • use whatever means available to cool body ~ shower, tub of cool water, cool water spray, cool water sponging

Needs repeating, any body who is confused with red hot dry skin, a rapid pulse and positioned in a hot environment, may be experiencing a heat stroke.  And this body is in desperate need of immediate medical attention.

Whenever it is hot and humid take it a bit easier during your fitness regime.

Filed under: Skin, Sweat, Temperature

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