Some of us love to lie in the sun, others flee into the shadows as soon as possible, but no matter how we tolerate the heat, no one is safe from overheating, which may occur as a result of a violation of the heat exchange of the body. Signs of sunstroke and heat stroke can occur at the most unexpected moment in absolutely healthy people.
Sunstroke occurs only in the summer from exposure to direct rays of the sun on an unprotected head. Thermal can happen at any other time of the year, although most often it also occurs in hot weather. A particular danger is that a severe form of heat stroke is similar to a heart attack or stroke.
How to distinguish signs of sunstroke and heat stroke from heart attacks? If a person is conscious, he can be questioned about his pain. With a heart attack, he feels pain in the chest, which can be given under the left shoulder blade or in the shoulder, can feel a rapid heartbeat, heart rhythm disturbance. In this case, put or seat the patient in a shaded place with an influx of fresh air and give a tablet of nitroglycerin. With a stroke, incoherent speech, a loss of orientation in space, partial or complete paralysis of movement can occur. Do not give any medicine. An immediate ambulance call is necessary anyway.
Signs of sun and heat stroke have the same clinical picture. Dizziness begins, perspiration stops, the face turns red, the body burns or, conversely, covers a chill. The temperature rises to 40 degrees, which is accompanied by a headache. It all depends on the degree of resistance of the body. Some may experience nausea, frequent vomiting, lack of appetite, dizziness can go into hallucinations. With such symptoms, you must immediately provide first aid and contact your nearest medical facility.
About the signs of sun and heat stroke they say: "My head is baked." This is not always correct. The second can come from being in a hot, stuffy room. Sometimes it is caused by work associated with increased external temperature (bath, pottery, metallurgical shops), prolonged wearing of dense synthetic clothing, sultry weather. Provoking factors can be overweight, drinking alcohol, certain medications, an excited state of a person, problems with the cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems, engaging in heavy physical labor in hot weather.
The effects of heat stroke can be the most serious. Renal or liver failure may develop, damage to the nervous and genitourinary systems of the body, and blood coagulation may be impaired. The patient may fall into a state of stupor or coma, which leads to death.
First aid is to use all available methods aimed at cooling the body. At home, it can be a cold bath (18–20 degrees), a wet sheet, sheets of ice on the head, axillary and inguinal areas of the body, rubbing with alcohol. The patient should be given a lot of fluid. If you feel unwell on the street, immediately find an air-conditioned room, loosen or unfasten your clothes, and call an ambulance.
Remember that this is not just overheating - it is a heat stroke, the consequences of which can lead to death.