Heat, some crave it, some avoid it, but everyone should be wary of it. The various heat emergencies cause over 4000 deaths yearly. Of those, 80% are from elderly persons over the age of eighty-five. It is also the second leading cause for death among young athletes. Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke are several of the better known afflictions associated with heat. The best thing to remember is that any heat related affliction is much easier to prevent than it is to treat.

The first thing that should be known about heat is that it takes at least two weeks to get acclimated to before any kind of physical activity should be attempted, many people bring heat illness on themselves because they do not take the time to get used to the heat before they train or work in it. Also, more water is required when one works in a high heat environment. At least five and up to thirteen quarts of water must be consumed per day to meet your bodily needs based on the type of work required. The consumption of salt should also be increased slightly in order to compensate for losses due to sweating.

There are several things that can increase the chance of heat injury. Dehydration in one of the leading factors, as it can prevent the distribution of heat throughout the body. Obesity and heavy clothing accelerate the dehydration process. Poor physical fitness causes the body to sweat more when it is being exerted, and when a body unused to regular exertion is subjected to it, it causes heavy breathing, in heat this also hastens dehydration.

Heat cramps are perhaps the most immediately noticeable heat injury there is. It is a heavy cramping of the body, usually the legs or abdomen, caused by a lack of either water or salt in the body. It is a somewhat common injury to athletes who do not properly condition and hydrate their body before extreme exertion. The best way to treat this injury is to rehydrate the body and plenty of rest and relaxation, preferable keeping off of ones feet until recovered.

Heat exhaustion is caused by extreme dehydration and the body’s methods for preventing heat overload breaking down. Mainly the body loses the ability to sweat. This is a slow process, the only obvious onset of heat exhaustion is the cessation of sweating. The symptoms of heat exhaustion include nausea, dizziness, weakness, headache, pale and moist skin, weak pulse, and disorientation.

Heat stroke is perhaps the most serious of the heat related injuries. Unlike heat exhaustion it strikes suddenly and is very serious, it is caused by the same things as heat exhaustion, but is a more serious case. It is caused by the body’s temperature rising very quickly, Signs of heat stroke include very high body temperature, hot, dry skin, lack of sweating, fast pulse, confusion, and possible loss of consciousness. Aid for heat stroke must given immediately, one must have the victim lay down and elevate their legs first. Once that is done it is best to use ice packs in the areas of high blood flow, mainly the groin, neck, forehead, and feet. If ice packs are not available, a fan should be used to lower the temperature around the body. The victim must also be made to drink cool non-alcoholic or caffeinated liquids. In most cases early basic first aid interventions can make the difference between life and death.