Chief Nursing Officer Gail Franks of the Trigg County Hospital said, “It’s mostly people who have been in high temperatures for a long period, like gardening or spending the day on the lake that suffer from forms of heat stress.”
Franks defined two forms of heat related illness. Heat stroke was the most serious, according to her. “The body loses its ability to control its temperature, and it rises rapidly. People suffering from this are unable to sweat, which is the body’s mechanism to cool down. With extreme rises it can be fatal.”
Heat exhaustion was a less serious form. “It can develop over several days with prolonged exposure to high temperatures and not enough water. Symptoms include heavy sweating, pale complexion, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness and dizziness. A victim may be nauseous or be vomiting. The heart and respiration rates may be up, and you may be breathing faster or shallower.”
Franks said that these conditions might be serious if not corrected quickly. “Anyone with heat stroke needs immediate medical attention. If a victim is vomiting or shows an inability to perspire or has severe muscle cramps, then call the EMS.”
For the rest of this story, read this week's Cadiz Record.
