Heatstroke - symptoms and treatment in adults. Heat stroke: symptoms and treatment, causes, types, assistance to the victim

Heatstroke occurs when the body cannot cope with an increase in temperature, and occurs due to an increase in the air temperature around it, or due to intense physical activity. Most often, people with heat exchange disorders, as well as the elderly and children, suffer. Due to body temperature reaching 40-41°C, dysfunction appears nervous system and brain. If help is not provided in time, they develop pathological changes in the body, and in severe cases death is possible.

What is heatstroke?

Symptoms in adults heatstroke needing treatment occur when the temperature environment reaches 31°C, and the body begins profuse sweating, in order to maintain body temperature at an optimal level. If not enough sweat is produced, then the body temperature gradually rises, and the change is noticed only when it reaches 38°C.

A special case of heat stroke is sunstroke. It is isolated as a separate disease, since it mainly affects the head area.

This condition is considered very dangerous, especially for people with chronic cardiovascular diseases, clotting or blood formation disorders. If you remain in this state for a long time, heart, kidney or liver failure may develop, as well as internal bleeding.

Two types of heat stroke:

The first type - overheating occurs due to heavy training, most often occurs in athletes. Sometimes it occurs during physical work in rooms with high temperature and humidity.
The second type is overheating due to an increase in ambient temperature.
Regardless of the cause, both forms have the same destructive effect on health and are life-threatening.

Causes

This condition can have many causes and is observed among sailors traveling in equatorial waters, workers in steel foundries, and it occurs among military personnel during marches taking place at high air temperatures. Heatstroke often occurs among sunbathers who spend more than 2 hours continuously under the sun's rays, as well as among novice tourists who have improperly organized camping conditions.

With the same ambient temperature, some adults develop symptoms of heat stroke that require long-term treatment for the disease, while others remain healthy under the same conditions. This depends on the level of physical fitness, clothing, amount of moisture in the body, and the body's ability to quickly cool down.

Patients at risk are:

disturbances in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
high blood pressure;
disorders in blood production and clotting;
endocrine diseases.

In case of untimely assistance, cases of death are common; at 41°C, only half of the sick survive. If the ambient temperature has risen above 30°C, intensive physical activity. The body is already under stress, trying to reduce internal heat, starting to produce sweat in large quantities, which can lead to dehydration. Maximum volume of sweat that can be released healthy man, does not exceed 1 l/h.

What aggravates the patient's condition:

warm clothes;
chronic diseases;
high temperature and humidity;
use of muscle relaxants;
problems with skin and sweat glands;
violations water balance in organism;
low ability to adapt.

Signs

The onset of the disease, regardless of severity, is quite acute, similar to a heart attack. With mild and medium degree there is rapid shallow breathing, redness of the skin, fever, nausea, possible vomiting and disorientation in space.

Severe damage develops quickly and is characterized by the following symptoms:

Weakness and extreme thirst (occurs due to dehydration).
Convulsions, due to overheating and increased acidity of the blood, the brain sends too many nerve impulses, which can cause tension throughout muscle mass, so separate groups muscles. Severe damage to the body is often characterized by the occurrence of convulsive syndrome.
Hyperthermia, a sharp increase in temperature to critical values.
Tachycardia and increased heart rate to 120 beats per minute. As time passes, the pulse continues to increase and becomes thread-like.
Decreased blood pressure due to the body losing a large number of liquid, trying to reduce the temperature, the blood became thicker.
A sharp decrease in sweating, due to a lack of fluid in the body, because of this, the temperature begins to increase very quickly.
Redness of the skin, gradually giving way to pallor and blueness.
Kidney failure occurs due to lack of fluid, lack of blood flow to the kidneys, and its increased density. There is a decrease in urine output, and in particularly severe situations, complete cessation.
Bleeding occurring in organs gastrointestinal tract, as well as in the liver and kidneys.
The skin may turn yellow due to liver damage, accompanied by an increase in the concentration of bilirubin in the blood.

Symptoms caused by overheating of the brain:

rave;
hallucinations;
disorientation in space or time;
confusion, when an adult answers questions inaccurately, situations may arise in which he does not remember what he did in the previous 5-10 minutes;
loss of consciousness caused by serious violation in thermoregulation and blood supply to the brain.

With heat stroke, symptoms in adults manifest in varying combinations and degrees of severity, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Therefore, it is imperative to carry out tests for the presence of infections that cause a similar fever.

If several signs from the list occur, you should definitely seek professional medical help. It is impossible to overcome heat stroke on your own, due to the fact that a number of pathological processes are running in the body.

What happens in the body?

When heat stroke occurs, the main consequences are disturbances in the electrolyte balance and the activity of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for thermoregulation. Condensed blood, due to large loss of water, with a high content of potassium and other elements, has toxic effect to internal organs.

Pathological processes in the body:

Dehydration, critical loss of fluid and salts due to sweating.
Problems in the functioning of the central nervous system.
Heart problems.
Blood oxidation.

Most swipe takes over the heart, which has difficulties in working, and the liver, which does not have time to filter out dying blood cells. Studies of people who die as a result of heatstroke show hemorrhages and swelling of the brain, neuronal degradation as in a disease of the nervous system, and severe hydropic changes.

Because there are no symptoms that affect everyone the same, heat stroke can sometimes be confused with illnesses caused by other causes.

Pathological conditions with similar symptoms:

Kidney or liver failure.
Hypothermia, there is loss of consciousness, but there are no symptoms of fluid loss.
Disturbance in brain function due to toxic poisoning caused by kidney disease.
Delirium tremens can be accompanied by all the symptoms of heat stroke due to brain damage from ethyl alcohol.
A concussion may have all the signs of a blow, but without an increase in temperature.
Infectious diseases affecting the central nervous system.
Drug poisoning.

Only qualified medical professionals can accurately determine whether adults are experiencing symptoms of heatstroke and prescribe the correct treatment.

First aid

The disease manifests itself different ways, but requires an immediate response and medical care. It is necessary to provide pre-medical support; if it is not provided on time or not in full, then irreversible consequences, including death, are possible.

If symptoms of heat stroke occur in adults, urgent care should be called for treatment. medical care. While waiting, it is necessary to provide the patient with plenty of fluids and cold compresses in the areas where large veins and arteries pass.

First aid:

restoration of water balance in the body;
an attempt to reduce body temperature below 38°C;
Avoid taking any liquids other than water.

It is prohibited to take any medications that affect the circulatory or nervous system, kidneys, liver or heart. Also, you should not wipe the patient with alcohol or vinegar, since during dehydration they are absorbed through the skin and increase blood toxicity.

The patient needs to be moved to a dark, cool place, where it is necessary to remove outer clothing and lay him on his back, raising his head and legs so that they are higher than his head. If vomiting is present, the patient should be placed on the right side in order to avoid the possibility of vomit entering the respiratory system. On the forehead, armpits, neck and inner part thighs require wet, cool compresses. You can additionally cover the patient with a wet sheet to increase the cooling area.

At temperatures above 39°C, the patient may feel chills and cold, refusing compresses, which make him even more cold. This is a sign of a disruption in the functioning of the hypothalamus. In this case, cooling must be carried out immediately, without listening to objections. The patient may also refuse water due to the fact that the brain has stopped registering signals about dehydration, so the victim must be forced to drink still water room temperature, in small sips, this is especially important to do when vomiting.

After the patient has been provided primary care, you need to call an ambulance. If this happened outside the city and there is a vehicle, then it is more effective to take the victim to the hospital yourself, then he will receive help faster. Treatment with antipyretic drugs when symptoms of heat stroke occur in adults is ineffective and even dangerous, since such drugs do not have the desired effect, but only burden the liver and kidneys.

These are the main recommendations for providing first aid, they are only temporary measures and cannot replace full treatment. The duration of treatment for the disease and symptoms of heat stroke in adults can only be prescribed by a doctor.

Folk remedies and prevention of occurrence

For mild heatstroke, duration of manifestation various symptoms in adults it is small, treatment can be carried out at home. In this case, the patient’s condition must be monitored every half hour. Traditional methods used when the temperature does not rise above 37.5°C. Compresses with grated horseradish lasting 20 minutes, or wiping the feet and armpits with onion pulp are often used.

Drinking plenty of fluids is necessary to replenish lost fluid. You should eat foods with plenty of liquid, such as watermelon, cucumber, oranges, as well as soups and other first courses.
You should not take any alcohol-containing substances or smoke or engage in physical activity. B

Recommended for everyone bed rest, if the manifestations of the disease decrease, then after 2-3 days you can take short walks. During treatment, it is necessary to avoid direct sunlight, warm rooms, and hot baths. It is advisable to limit hygiene procedures rubbing with cool water.

Prevention of the disease is carried out in summer time, and includes:

wear light, heat-conducting clothing;
hats during sunshine;
use sufficient quantity still water;
avoiding exposure to the sun during peak activity hours.

The condition caused by disturbances in thermoregulation does not go away on its own, but only gets worse. If symptoms of heat stroke occur in adults, the duration of treatment for the disease depends on how quickly first aid was provided.

Every year, hundreds of people die and tens of thousands are injured due to heat and overheating. A person’s presence in a heated space leads to intense and intense work compensatory mechanisms the body, aimed at cooling the body and maintaining its temperature at a relatively constant level. Heat stroke develops as a result of prolonged exposure to the temperature factor on the body and the resulting disruption of thermoregulation processes.

So, heatstroke is a condition caused by overheating human body. It is accompanied by a characteristic clinical picture of a failure of temperature self-regulation, which becomes a consequence of prolonged exposure to the body elevated temperature environment.

Causes of the condition

The causes of heat stroke are:

Prolonged exposure to the scorching sun in summer. If the sun's rays bake your head, a type of pathology occurs called sunstroke. We talk about its features in a separate article.
Work in close proximity to heat sources. Typical for workers in foundries, bakers and other professions in the presence of temperature exposure in production.
High physical activity in a hot, stuffy room or under open air in hot weather. A number of doctors classify lesions of this kind as a separate type - heat stroke from physical exertion.
High air humidity against the background of high ambient temperature indoors or outdoors.
Insufficient fluid intake.
Wearing clothing that is not suitable for weather conditions. For example, things made of materials that prevent the body from cooling due to the evaporation of sweat.
Damage to the central nervous system with a characteristic clinical picture of vital depression important functions- breathing and heartbeat.
The use of medications that have an indirect effect on the thermoregulatory functions of the body. This influence has a number of antihistamines used for cupping allergic reactions. Drugs for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression and other mental health pathologies have a similar effect.

Mechanism of development of heat stroke

When overheated, the human body actively loses fluid, which is excreted in the form of sweat from the surface of the skin. Lack of fluid leads to intense work of the body's regulatory systems. After all, as a consequence, the possibility of complete further heat transfer due to the release and evaporation of sweat from the surface of the body is lost. Mild heatstroke develops.

Further development pathological process occurs due to general overheating of the human body. Blood deprived of moisture thickens and poorly supplies the organs with oxygen. The salt balance is disrupted because, in addition to water, a person also loses salt along with sweat. And expansion due to overheating blood vessels provokes a drop in blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

Who is more susceptible to heatstroke?

Often this condition occurs in people with certain predispositions. For example, chronic diseases endocrine system, affecting changes in hormonal levels, weaken the body’s ability to maintain a constant body temperature. This affects both heat production and heat transfer. As a result, people with endocrine pathologies often suffer heatstroke and are prone to frostbite and general hypothermia.

Persons with a number of people have a predisposition hereditary diseases(for example, cystic fibrosis), as well as a history of traumatic brain injury. A similar tendency is expressed in people with chronic diseases of cardio-vascular system, metabolic disorders, in obese people.

As already mentioned, often thermal effects are negative factor production environment. This leads to the development of heat stroke in the workplace. The latter is regarded as Occupational Illness and threatens liability for the employer.

Painful manifestations are typical for military personnel during long marches in the heat, and for hikers who are not physically prepared for the route.

Symptoms of Heat Injury

In adults, symptoms of heat stroke can be divided into objective and subjective. The first ones are revealed during medical examination, the second - as a result of a patient interview. Subjective signs are nothing more than a description of the patient’s well-being.

Objective signs of heat stroke:

Increased body temperature.
Pronounced hyperemia (redness) of the skin.
Increased heart rate (up to 130 or more beats per minute).
Decreased arterial pressure with heat stroke.
Changes in pulse characteristics. Poor filling due to reduced blood flow due to dehydration, soft pulse as a result of low blood pressure.

Subjective signs:

Headache, dizziness. Possible loss of consciousness.
Feeling of lack of air.
Nausea and vomiting due to heat stroke. Convulsions may develop.
Muscle pain.
Psychomotor agitation.

One of the characteristic signs of a painful condition is the absence of sweating against a background of high body temperature.

A number of subjective sensations - dizziness, loss of attention, stunned state and nausea - are the first signs of heat stroke in adults.

Against the background of a decrease in blood pressure and overheating of human tissues, organs and systems, there is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid and an increase intracranial pressure. This is accompanied by tissue swelling meninges and brain tissue. These changes lead to the development of headaches due to heat stroke. Compressive and bursting, it can be moderate or pronounced. One of the characteristic signs of pain is its persistence, until the increased intracranial pressure is eliminated.

It is possible to develop convulsions and spasms of the limbs, including against the background of a lack of sodium in the body. This happens more often in children.

Diarrhea due to heat stroke as a consequence of impaired intestinal motility at first glance is not characteristic feature. However, it can develop against the background of general stress in the body, and also intensify under the influence of rehydration therapy (replenishment of fluid).

Body temperature indicators during heatstroke

The temperature during heat stroke can vary significantly and range from subfebrile values of 37-38 (with mild lesions) to 40-41 degrees Celsius with severe forms pathological condition.

The duration of elevated body temperature depends on the severity of the patient’s condition and the individual patient’s body’s ability to recover. As a rule, the fever subsides immediately after relief acute condition. However, situations are possible when, after suffering a heatstroke, the temperature persists for several more days.

What to do in case of heatstroke: first aid

First aid for heatstroke involves moving the victim to normal conditions. That is, the first thing you need to do is eliminate the influence of the temperature factor. It is also necessary to provide the victim with rest in order to reduce heat production from muscle contractions.

If you lose consciousness due to heatstroke, it is necessary to revive the person. Let him inhale the vapors ammonia. They irritate the olfactory receptors and stimulate activation respiratory center.

As soon as the victim regains consciousness, it is necessary to provide him drinking plenty of fluids. It is better to give non-carbonated mineral water at room temperature. Don't drink cold water to prevent local hypothermia and, as a consequence, the occurrence of acute respiratory and other infections.

If the vital functions of the body are disrupted (cardiac arrest, cessation of breathing) due to heatstroke, emergency assistance is provided on site using the ABC system: airway, breathing, circulation. It is a sequence of three stages:

restoration of patency respiratory tract(removal of vomit that interferes with breathing, throwing back the head with fixation of the tongue when it is retracted);
restoration of breathing;
restoration of blood circulation.

The last two stages of first aid for heatstroke are performed simultaneously. The set of activities includes resuscitation actions- indirect cardiac massage and artificial respiration in a ratio of two artificial respiration for 30 chest compressions.

If you have the appropriate skills and lack of effectiveness indirect massage heart, it is possible to perform a precordial blow technique: apply 1-2 short pushes twice with a hand clenched into a fist. The manipulation is performed from a height of 20-30 centimeters above the surface of the body. Afterwards, the technique of indirect cardiac massage is continued until the heartbeat is restored or an ambulance arrives.

What not to do

First of all, you can’t hesitate. All your actions in case of heat stroke must be clear and coordinated, since delay in providing assistance to the victim will immediately lead to a worsening of his condition.

It is forbidden to carry out sudden cooling of the body - immersion of the affected person in cold water, cold shower. This may cause shock or damage internal organs and systems. After all, a sharp spasm of blood vessels and redistribution of blood flow will cause increased load on the heart muscle and will lead to a sharp increase in blood pressure. This reaction can give more negative consequences for the victim than overheating itself.

In addition, improper care for heatstroke can lead to the development of pneumonia or the addition of acute respiratory infections.

It is forbidden to give alcohol to the victim or rub him with alcohol. Under the influence ethyl alcohol the tone of blood vessels decreases. Against the background of overheating, they expand even more.

It is important to be wary of taking medicines. Some medications can aggravate metabolic disorders, including thermoregulation processes in the affected body.

How to treat heatstroke?

Treatment for heat stroke begins with cooling the body. To do this, you need to remove outer clothing from the affected person and ensure an influx of fresh air. These manipulations can significantly increase body heat transfer. You can activate heat transfer by pointing it at the victim. strong current air using a fan, a hair dryer with cold air and other methods. Then cold compresses are applied to the arms, legs, and head. You can cool the body by spraying it with water at room temperature - about 21-25 degrees Celsius. Spraying is performed at intervals of five minutes and repeated 3-4 times.

Treatment of heat stroke in adults does not differ significantly from the treatment of a similar condition in children. However, when providing assistance, it is necessary to take into account that clinical picture in children, as a rule, it is prone to manifest, that is, pronounced manifestations. This reaction child's body due to the weak stability of thermoregulatory systems and a slow response to changing environmental conditions. This is especially true for the first years of life, up to the age of six. As a result, when treating children with heatstroke, the promptness of assistance is taken into account.

Medical care for heatstroke also includes preventing dehydration. In order not to aggravate heat exchange processes, you should not use warm water- the patient is advised to drink at room temperature. You need to drink in small sips, with short breaks, to prevent the sudden impact of a large volume of liquid on the digestive system. This will also prevent fluid from entering the respiratory system from possible violation breathing.

Drug treatment

First, let's talk about common mistakes in taking medications. In case of heat stroke, ibuprofen and nurofen tablets can be mistakenly used to provide an antipyretic and analgesic effect. The active ingredient is ibuprofen, which slows down the synthesis of prostaglandins (mediators of inflammation, heat and pain). However, in case of thermal injury, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen is useless due to the lack of inflammatory process as a factor in the development of the disease. As a result, such antipyretic medications for heat stroke do not lead to normalization of the body's thermoregulation. Moreover, they can aggravate the situation by side effect- decreased blood clotting ability.

Taking aspirin or paracetamol for heat stroke for the reason stated above also does not make sense.

Drug therapy should be based on three areas:

Cooling the body and fighting dehydration.
Maintaining the functioning of vital organs and systems.
Prevention of concomitant organ damage.

A drug for the treatment of overheating is dantrolene, which activates calcium uptake by skeletal muscle and leads to a decrease in the release of thermal energy. It is important to consider that this therapy does not exclude further general superficial cooling of the body.

The main place in the treatment of overheating is occupied by rehydration therapy, aimed at eliminating dehydration of the body. In case of heat stroke, rehydron, which is a carbohydrate-salt composition, helps restore water and electrolyte balance. It is used for significant fluid loss - 6-10% of body weight. Replenishing the fluid supply leads to increased sweating and, as a result, accelerated cooling of the body.

Maintaining the activity of vital organs and systems involves taking Refortan to restore circulating blood volume; taking adrenaline for constriction and mesatone to increase the tone of blood vessels and maintain normal blood pressure. To stabilize respiratory system Cordiamine is used as a stimulant of the respiratory center, as well as pure oxygen to saturate the blood.

IN severe cases may require introducing the patient into artificial coma. For this purpose, thiopental anesthesia is used. The latter is used to reduce the oxygen demand of brain tissue in conditions such as cerebral edema. In addition, sodium thiopental ( active substance) has an anticonvulsant effect.

Homeopathy for heatstroke

Homeopathic remedies for heat stroke are also used. Their principle is not based on countering the disease, but on treating like with like. Thus, Aconite and Belladonna are used as means of counteracting fever, Gelzemin - to eliminate dizziness. Medicines are taken according to general recommendations by application homeopathic remedies, with a mandatory re-appointment one to two hours after the condition improves.

Recovery from Heat Stroke

Normalization of the victim's body temperature may take a long time. The duration of such recovery directly depends on the severity of the lesion. Doctors recommend following a certain regimen after heatstroke in order to fully restore the functioning of all organs and systems of the body.

Drinking fluids regularly can help you recover from heatstroke. Good effect have moderate physical activity, in particular cardio exercise. Among the types of physical activity, active walking is recommended. It is worth refraining from strength exercises, as they take a lot of oxygen from the blood, as well as from static and dynamic stress, for example, holding weights.

In addition, it is recommended to eliminate stress and emotional distress. After all, no one has canceled their impact on both hormonal background, and on vascular tone, heart rate and blood pressure levels in general.

Consequences of heat stroke

The possible consequences of heat stroke in an adult can be divided into two groups. These are direct results of temperature effects on the body, as well as complications of another disease that arose against the background of overheating.

The immediate consequences include disturbances in maintaining the body's temperature balance. They are manifested by fluctuations in body temperature throughout the day, an inadequate response of thermoregulatory systems - increased heat transfer with slight heating of the body, or, conversely, a weakening of heat transfer functions with significant heating. The result of a violation of thermoregulation can be the persistence of an elevated body temperature - it happens that after a heatstroke the temperature persists for several days, less often - weeks.

The second category of consequences is quite extensive. It may include complications that develop during the pathology or its treatment. Consequences such as acute cardiac, respiratory or renal failure require long-term rehabilitation, can develop into chronic form. In severe cases, myocardial infarction may develop due to overload of the heart muscle, decreased vascular tone, and decreased oxygen supply to the blood; shock as a result of dehydration, decreased vascular tone and decreased circulating blood volume.

Another complication may be pulmonary edema, which is formed due to the destruction of capillaries in lung tissue after sudden rehydration - significant intravenous administration liquids.

The central nervous system (CNS) affected by overheating may experience a reaction in the form of coma, as well as persistent changes in the functioning of the central nervous system. This becomes a consequence of severe hypoxia ( oxygen starvation) brain tissue.

Most serious consequence- death. It is most often observed in victims over fifty years of age. This age group accounts for about 80% of all heatstroke deaths. The overall mortality rate is about 20-30%.

Timely provision of medical care allows you to reduce undesirable consequences to a minimum.

How to Avoid Heat Stroke

Preventing heat stroke includes:

Complete exclusion of exposure to heat or time limit. In terms of duration, it is recommended for adults to stay in the heat for no more than two hours at a time, for children - no more than half an hour.
For the purpose of prevention, it is recommended to limit, if possible, physical activity in hot weather and microclimatic conditions. An important aspect is compliance with the work and rest regime in the heat, taking regulated breaks every 30-40 minutes (depending on the nature and activity of the temperature factor).
Special attention should be paid to clothing. It should reflect sunlight, and also ensure good air and moisture permeability. The presence of a light-colored headdress prevents local heating of the scalp tissues.
Drink plenty of fluids. In hot conditions, the amount of fluid consumed can increase significantly. You can drink not only water, but also milk, mineral water and juices. They contribute to the normalization of metabolic processes, support electrolyte balance, saturate the body with vitamins and minerals.
Adjustment of nutrition in the direction of reducing fat-containing and meat products in the diet. They need to be replaced with fresh vegetable or fruit salads and juices. In addition, it is worth reducing calories and reducing the size of portions at lunchtime, and replacing hot meals for lunch with cold soups (sorrel soup, cold soup, okroshka and others).

Heat stroke is a violation of thermoregulation in the body, which arose as a result of severe overheating of the body under the influence of high ambient temperatures. Often so unpleasant condition occurs in people who are busy physical work and dressed “not for the weather.” As a rule, this happens in hot weather in enclosed spaces, for example, in a workshop at work, in public transport or an unventilated office.

For heat stroke to occur, a combination of three factors is necessary: high air temperature, high humidity and physical activity, as a result of which the body produces additional heat. Under the influence of heat and increased sweating The body loses a large amount of water, which disrupts heat transfer and provokes dehydration.
There are four forms of heatstroke, which differ in their symptoms:

Asphyxial - breathing disturbance occurs (it is irregular, superficial) and an increase in body temperature to 41 degrees is observed.
Hyperthermic – deterioration general well-being, weakness, and the temperature reaches 39-40⁰C.
Cerebral form - disorders of the central nervous system (delirium, loss of consciousness), as well as convulsions and paralysis are observed.
Gastroenteric form - negative side effects digestive system(vomiting, diarrhea, nausea).

Signs of Heat Stroke

Recognizing heatstroke is quite simple, but many people mistakenly confuse it with a state of fatigue and do not take proper measures to improve their well-being and neutralize the factors that have such a negative effect on the body. First of all, a person feels weak, extreme thirst and dry mouth, it’s stuffy, there’s not enough air, which can cause pressing pain in the chest. After some time, sweating increases, skin acquire a reddish tint, the pulse increases significantly and blood pressure decreases. Often the body temperature in this condition reaches 39-41 degrees.

If timely assistance is not provided, a coma may occur. In this case, there is absolutely no sweating, the skin becomes pale and excessively dry. Breathing is shallow and intermittent. In this state, delirium often begins and convulsions occur. In some cases, vomiting and diarrhea may occur, this contributes to complete dehydration and further complicates and aggravates the situation.
Symptoms of heat stroke:

increase in body temperature to 39 °C and above;
reduction or complete absence sweating and urination;
increased heart rate;
a sharp drop in blood pressure;
change in skin tone (redness or bluish appearance);
convulsions;
nausea, vomiting, ;
delusions, hallucinations;
Strong headache;
loss of consciousness;
a coma may occur.

It is important to remember the main symptoms of heat stroke. This will help to identify in a timely manner pathological condition and provide necessary help the victim or yourself.

Heat stroke treatment

If your close person or a partner complains of deterioration in health, symptoms characteristic of heat stroke appear, it is necessary to provide him with help. This will preserve the health, and in some cases, the life of the victim. It is important to provide first aid as quickly as possible and transport the person to medical institution.

First aid for heatstroke:

The consequences of heat stroke and its prevention

If you do not provide timely assistance or go to a medical facility, a person with heatstroke may suffer the following consequences: coma, collapse, cerebral edema, circulatory disorders. In the most severe cases, death can occur and is especially dangerous for people with heart disease.
In order to avoid heat stroke, preventive measures should be taken, which include:

Heatstroke is a condition that can affect anyone, regardless of age and type of activity, so it is important to know what symptoms are inherent in the disease and how to provide first aid.

Heatstroke is overheating of the body. At this state the body loses the ability to regulate normal temperature. As a result, heat generation processes intensify and heat transfer decreases. This leads to disruption of the body's functioning, and sometimes even results in death.

Causes of Heat Stroke

More often, overheating of the body is caused by exposure to high temperatures combined with high air humidity. Heatstroke can also be caused by wearing synthetic or other thick clothing that prevents the body from releasing heat.

It can be triggered by excessive physical activity in direct sunlight, prolonged stay in a stuffy room with limited access fresh air.

Overeating increases the likelihood of heatstroke on hot days, overuse alcohol, dehydration and fatigue.

Older people and children are predisposed to overheating of the body. In the elderly, this is due to the fact that due to age-related changes thermoregulation weakens.

The tendency of children to overheat the body is explained by the fact that their thermoregulatory processes are not formed. People with problems with the urinary, endocrine, cardiovascular and respiratory systems are at greater risk of getting heatstroke than others.

Signs of Heat Stroke

Dizziness, which may be accompanied by darkening of the eyes and visual hallucinations: flashing or the appearance of dots before the eyes, sensation of movement of foreign objects.
Difficulty breathing.
Increase in body temperature to 40 degrees.
Sharp redness of the skin.
Nausea, sometimes vomiting.
Weakness.
Excessive sweating.
Rapid or weakened pulse.
Headache.
Unbearable thirst and dry mouth.
Compressive pain in the region of the heart.

In severe cases, the above symptoms of heat stroke may be accompanied by convulsions, involuntary urination, loss of consciousness, delirium, cessation of sweating, dilated pupils, sudden pallor of the facial skin, and sometimes coma.

Help for heatstroke

If the first symptoms of heat stroke occur, you should call an ambulance. Before doctors arrive, it is recommended to move the victim to a shaded or cool place and provide him with access to oxygen by unbuttoning his clothes or undressing him to the waist. Afterwards, the person should be laid on his back, his head raised and try to cool him down by any means. For example, spray your skin with cold water, wrap your body in a damp cloth, or place it under a fan.

In case of heatstroke, it is useful to apply ice compresses to the forehead, neck and occipital area. If you can't get it, you can use a bottle of cold liquid instead of ice. If the victim is conscious, he should be given a cool drink mineral water or any drink that does not contain alcohol or caffeine. This will help quickly cool the body and replenish the lack of fluid. In such cases, an infusion of valerian diluted with water helps.

After heatstroke, the victim is advised to avoid overexertion, physical exertion and stay in bed for several days. This is necessary to normalize the functioning of important body functions and reduce the risk of re-overheating of the body.

The main cause of heatstroke is overheating of the body. During an attack, body temperature can jump to 40-41 degrees. To avoid the negative consequences of heatstroke, it is important to provide the victim with proper medical care as soon as possible. And just in case, it wouldn’t hurt everyone to know the treatment algorithm.

What are the consequences of heatstroke and how long do they last?

You don't have to be outside in the heat for heatstroke to occur. Of course, under such conditions, attacks occur most often. But in closed, stuffy, poorly ventilated rooms, people can also easily become ill.

The first symptom of the disease is a feeling of weakness. The patient may also turn pale, feel thirsty, dizzy, headache. If first aid is not provided in time, you may encounter dangerous consequences heat stroke, and how long they will last, no specialist can definitely say.

To the number possible complications it is customary to refer to:

to whom;
collapse;
severe circulatory failure;
convulsions;
acute renal or liver failure;
leukocytosis;
thrombocytopenia;
leukocyturia;
cylindruria;
proteinuria;
hypofibrinogenemia;
ophthalmological problems;
diseases of the cardiovascular system;
neurological pathologies;

Medicine has even encountered cases where overheating resulted in death. But fortunately, they are rare. All this happens because the exposure is too long high temperatures on organs and systems cannot go unnoticed.

How to deal with the consequences of heat stroke and quickly overcome them?

If someone has an attack of overheating, it is advisable to quickly call ambulance. But even before a specialist arrives, you should begin to treat the consequences of heat stroke. It's not that difficult to do: