Specialty emergency medicine ICD-9-CM 992.3-992.5 eMedicine emerg/236 | ICD-10 T67.3- T67.5 DiseasesDB 5690 MeSH D006359 | |
Heat illness or heat-related illness is a spectrum of disorders due to environmental exposure to heat. It includes minor conditions such as heat cramps, heat syncope, and heat exhaustion as well as the more severe condition known as heat stroke.
Contents
Classification
A number of heat illnesses exist including:
Prevention
Prevention includes avoiding medications that can increase the risk of heat illness (e.g. antihypertensives, diuretics, and anticholinergics), gradual adjustment to heat, and sufficient fluids and electrolytes.
Treatment
Mild disease can be treated with fluids by mouth. In more significant disease spraying with mist and using a fan is useful. For those with severe disease putting them in lukewarm water is recommended if possible with transport to a hospital.
Epidemiology
Heat stroke is relatively common in sports and is the cause of about 2 percent of deaths. Football in the United States has the highest rates.
Between 1999 and 2003, the US had a total of 3442 deaths from heat illness. Those who work outdoors are at particular risk for heat illness, though those who work in poorly-cooled spaces indoors are also at risk. Between 1992 and 2006, 423 workers died from heat illness in the US.
History
Heat illness used to be blamed on a tropical fever named calenture.