Heat Disorders

Running Head: Health and Medicine
Heat Disorders
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Heat Disorders
Heat disorders result from prolonged exposure to excessive heat. According to the SFA Medical Centre (2000), the excess heat causes body’s cooling mechanisms to break down and the result is damage in heat regulation mechanisms. The disorder is attributed to an individual’s excessive engagement in physical activities such that the production of heat in the body exceeds the normal capacity. The increase in temperature interferes with the normal body temperatures leading to permanent or temporary disturbances. The essay looks at four types of heat disorders, heat stroke, fever, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps, the symptoms of each and management.
Heat Stroke
Human bodies produce large amounts of internal heat, this is however counteracted by the sweating and radiation of heat processes through the skin. In periods of extreme heat though, very energy consuming activities under the sun, the efficient cooling system may fail and heat may build up to vey dangerous levels. If a person gets dehydrated, and the sweating process fails, the internal temperature rises to high levels as the cooling system is dormant. The resulting condition is referred to as a heatstroke. The most common symptoms of heat stroke include a very dry skin, flushed but not very sweaty, increase in the heart beats from normal, high body temperatures, sluggishness and fatigue. These symptoms differ from patient to patient. In extreme cases, the patients may feel dizzy, get unconscious or experience hallucinations (Calnan, Gabe & Williams, 2002). It is thus very vital for the patient to get treated immediately, as heat strokes can lead to permanent damages and death in extreme cases. However, a simple first aid can save the situation while waiting for some medical help.
The patient needs to be taken indoors to prevent any further dehydration from the environment, the patient is then massaged with cool water all over the body, while fanning to encourage the sweating process and ice packs are placed on the groin and armpits. It is very important that the person lies while the feet are slightly elevated.


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Management
It is evident that heat stroke is caused by too much heat, to prevent it occurrence one needs to drink plenty of fluids which ensure that the body is not easily dehydrated, this is especially vital in hot days. The drinks however, should be water or the sports drinks and not tea, coffee soda as they can lead to dehydration. Secondly, vigorous and energy consuming activities should be scheduled for cooler days when the heat intensities and the process of evaporation are low, additionally, in such instances of adverse heat conditions individuals are advised to spend more ...