Recent record-high temperatures in many parts of the United
States
highlight the need for awareness of the health hazards posed by
environmental heat. Heat waves can cause dramatic increases in
overall
mortality; they have doubled or even tripled the usual number of
deaths per day in particularly severe episodes.
Heatstroke, usually diagnosed in a heat-exposed individual
whose
core temperature is 40.5*SDC (105*SDF) or greater, is the most
serious
of diseases clearly attributable to the heat. It has a high
death-to-case ratio. Elderly persons, residents of poorer
inner-city
neighborhoods, patients taking neuroleptic or anticholinergic
medications, and persons confined to bed or otherwise unable to
care
for themselves are at particularly high risk (1). Reducing
physical
activity, drinking extra liquids, and increasing time spent in
air-conditioned places all appear to significantly reduce the risk
of
heatstroke. Measures to prevent heatstroke should target persons
at
high risk and should promote behaviors associated with reduced
risk--for example, elderly persons may be taken to an
air-conditioned
shopping mall for 2-3 hours per day. Special precautions should be
taken to protect workers in certain "hot" industries.
Reported by: Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects,
Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, CDC.
Reference
Kilbourne EM, Choi K, Jones TS, Thacker SB, and the Field
Investigation Team. Risk factors for heatstroke: A
case-control
study. JAMA 1982;247:3332-6.
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