Hot enough for you? Don't get mad at us; we're as tired of that question as you are.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are striking people around the country, especially children, the elderly, athletes and people taking certain common medications.
If your body were an automobile, you wouldn't get far when the water in your radiator boiled away. Ignore the warning light, and you could easily blow the engine.
The body doesn't come with an "idiot light" or a gauge to signal overheating, but overlooking the warning signs of heat exhaustion could lead to a serious medical emergency. Heat stroke can result in brain damage or even death.
First, let's clear up the differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion occurs as a result of a loss of fluid. This may occur as a result of not drinking enough to replace sweating losses. The person becomes weak and may feel nauseated, anxious and lightheaded.
When a crowd gathers and stands around for some event in hot weather, some folks are overcome by heat exhaustion and they faint. Their pulses are weak and slow, their skin is pale and clammy, and their blood pressure is low.
Heat stroke, on the other hand, happens when the body's normal means of losing heat shut down or can't cope with extreme temperature. The onset of symptoms may be sudden, with headache, weakness and disorientation signaling an imminent loss of consciousness. The skin is hot, usually dry, and flushed. The pulse is fast and hard, and the body temperature is elevated. Children and pets have died from heat stroke when they were left in a closed car. Heat stroke requires emergency medical attention.
Many medications make matters much worse. Drugs that slow sweating are especially dangerous. They disable the body's "radiator" and make cooling more difficult. Anti-depressants such amitriptyline (Elavil), desipramine (Pertofrane and Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil) and nortriptyline (Pamelor) are especially dangerous in this regard.
Over-the-counter anti-histamines and motion sickness medicine can also make people more vulnerable to the heat. An athlete taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or clemastine (Tavist) to relieve congestion might end up in the hospital because the body can't get rid of the excess heat generated by vigorous exercise.
Prescription heart medicine such as atenolol (Tenormin), nadolol Corgard) and propranolol (Inderal) can also make it harder to keep up with the strain of the heat.
