What is Heat-Stroke?
People exposed to excessively hot conditions, especially when they are doing physically demanding work, are liable to suffer a variety of bodily disturbances. They are principally of two kinds. The first category consists of cases called "heat exhaustion." These are essentially disturbances of the circulatory system. The simplest of these (heat syncope) is a faint caused by pooling of the blood in the extremities and the abdominal vessels on prolonged standing after work, in hot conditions. Heat exhaustion is also brought about by reduction of the circulatory blood volume as a result of insufficient water intake, or lack of salt intake, or both. None of these varieties of heat exhaustion is serious unless dehydration or salt deficiency is very severe. Recovery on treatment is rapid and complete.
Very different from heat exhaustion is "heat-stroke," also called "heat hyperpyrexia" - a name which points to the essential character of the condition - loss by the body of its ability to control the internal body temperature within normal limits of 36-37°C (97-98°F).
In heat-stroke the body temperature rises to as high as 42°C (109°F).
Once the diagnosis of heat-stroke has been made an effective method of cooling should be immediately applied. Cooling is absolutely essential and is life saving if the rectal temperature is reduced to 38°C within one hour, regardless of the degree of hyperpyrexia present at the beginning.
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