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heat injury; heat stress; heat illness

Occurs when the body is unable to maintain cooling due to environmental temperature & humidity. Epidemiology: - cold weather is associated with more deaths than hot weather [3] - 8% of deaths attributable to cold or hot weather - >7% associated with cold weather [3] - hottest days on record over the last decade were associated with an increase in mental health-related emergency department visits among U.S. adults [8] Management: - planning for periods of extreme heat & targeting interventions to vulnerable populations may reduce heat-related deaths [2] - electric fans of little to no benefit for the elderly in hot environment (42 C, 108 F) & may be harmful [5] - electric fans & wetting the skin wetting both worked better than no cooling in a hot and humid environment

Related

burn hyperthermia (pyrexia)

Specific

exertional heat injury heat exhaustion heat stroke miliaria (heat rash, sweat rash)

General

metabolic disease environmental exposure

References

  1. Saunders Manual of Medical Practice, Rakel (ed), WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1996, pg 1178-80
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Heat-Related Deaths After an Extreme Heat Event -- Four States, 2012, and United States, 1999-2009. MMWR. June 7, 2013 / 62(22);433-436 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6222a1.htm
  3. Gasparrini A et al Mortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature: a multicountry observational study. Lancet. May 20, 2015 PMID: 26003380 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2962114-0/abstract - Dear K, Wang Z Climate and health: mortality attributable to heat and cold. Lancet. May 20, 2015 PMID: 26003381 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960897-2/abstract
  4. Atha WF Heat-related illness. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2013 Nov;31(4):1097-108. Review. PMID: 24176481
  5. Gagnon D et al Cardiac and Thermal Strain of Elderly Adults Exposed to Extreme Heat and Humidity With and Without Electric Fan Use. JAMA. 2016;316(9):989-991 PMID: 27599335 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2547743
  6. Semenovskaya Z, Wiener S Burning Up? A Guide to Treating Heat Illness. Medscape. Aug 18, 2020 https://reference.medscape.com/slideshow/heat-illness-6004448
  7. Gauer R, Meyers BK. Heat-related illnesses. Am Fam Physician. 2019 99(8):482-489 PMID: 30990296 Free article. Review.
  8. Grant K Does Extreme Heat Prompt More Mental Health-Related ED Visits? Sky-high temps were an external stressor across a variety of mental health conditions. MedPage Today February 23, 2022 https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/anxietystress/97328 - Nori-Sarma A, Sun S, Sun Y et al Association Between Ambient Heat and Risk of Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Among US Adults, 2010 to 2019. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online February 23, 2022 PMID: 35195664 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2789481
  9. Chaseling GK, Vargas NT, Hospers L et al Simple Strategies to Reduce Cardiac Strain in Older Adults in Extreme Heat. N Engl J Med. 2024 Nov 7;391(18):1754-1756. PMID: 39504526 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2407812