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Welcome to the
Bucks County Medical Society
Community Bulletin Board The Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society issued its June/July column, featuring heat
stroke. We thank Drs. Heine, Pao, and Borowski for their help in producing this column.
for the
Physician
HEAT STROKE
Welcome to "Good Medicine for Pennsylvania" featuring Peter Lund, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical
Society, and his
member colleagues sharing general medical information to help you live healthier. This column is brought to you
as a public service of the
Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
Beat the Heat
It's here - the hot, hazy, sometimes unbearable heat that arrives in Pennsylvania every summer. And with it comes
the potential for heat stroke, which occurs when excessively high body temperature damages the central nervous
system, including the brain, spinal cord, and other organs. Most at risk are elderly persons and infants, those
with chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, and people on certain medications. Athletes, laborers, and
soldiers-persons who overdo
physical activity in very hot temperatures-are especially prone to dehydration and heat stroke. "Heat stroke
is not an accident," says Marilyn J. Heine, M.D., an emergency physician in Montgomery County and a member
of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. "It's a condition
that generally can be prevented with a little effort and lots of common sense." Pay attention when humidity
rises to 70 percent and temperatures climb to about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat stroke's symptoms are similar to
those mentioned above, but are even more severe- profuse sweating, then hot, dry, red skin; high fever;
vomiting; confusion; seizures during cooling; and unconsciousness. The blood pressure may be low or high, and lack
of sweating is common, though athletes may perspire. The body temperature often will be 105 degrees or higher.
"After calling 911," Dr. Heine says, "move the victim to a cooler location, remove heavy clothing,
fan the body and
wet it down with a cool sponge or cloth, and encourage the individual to drink cool fluids." During oppressively
hot weather, keep cool and
healthy by doing the following:
Finally, be a good neighbor-check on elderly and chronically ill persons regularly to make sure they're bearing
up under the heat.
Serving the Physicians and Residents of
Bucks County PA since 1848
