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Heat exhaustion and heat syncope
The signs and heat exhaustion symptoms are similar to shock and include:
Weakness, exhaustion, fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhoea
Heat cramps
Lack of coordination, giddiness, faintness
Rapid pulse and breathing
Cold and clammy skin
Profuse sweating.
Someone showing these symptoms should be moved to a cool place, have their unnecessary garments removed and their body cooled. Lost fluids and electrolytes should be replaced. Consult a doctor if the person can’t keep the fluid down or doesn’t recover promptly. The condition is very similar to heatstroke, but the body temperature is usually less than 39°C.
Heat syncope
This condition is a temporary loss of consciousness, or fainting, triggered by prolonged standing in the heat. The dilated blood vessels allow the blood to pool in the otherwise stationary lower parts of the body. If someone is unable or unwilling to move their legs, the brain suffers temporarily a shortage of blood – and fainting occurs. A horizontal body position aids the blood flow to the brain and the situation corrects itself within minutes.
Heat syncope occurrences during parades of soldiers or the police are a typical example. As fit as most of them are, standing still in hot conditions and enduring boring speeches or presentations fells even the toughest. And a felling it is. Without much warning, the person faints and hits the ground. He or she will wake up in the arms of a caring ambulance officer. Unfortunately, not only the ego may be bruised.
The cause of heat exhaustion is similar to that of heat cramp – dehydration and/or an imbalance of electrolytes. In this case, however, the body’s temperature regulation system fails to adequately respond to an increase in body temperature as well. The disorder often follows overexertion in hot weather during sport or outdoor work. Elderly patients on diuretic medicine are also at great risk.
