Summer is Coming; Heat-Wave Deaths

What is the exact medical process where weather temperature causes death in a human or other organism? Heat-caused deaths in the USA surmount other natural disaster deaths. Check out: slate.msn.com/id/2068612/

The general type of heat related death I've studied is heat or sunstroke. This is also called hyperthermia, as opposed to hypothermia which occurs in cold temperatures. Basically, what happens is you absorb more heat than your body is able to release via sweat and dissipation. The person would typically present with confusion, signs of dehydration, and usually syncope (fainting). The best treatment is sto hydrate them and get them to a hospital as soon as possible.

Does that pretty much answer your question, or is there more/other stuff you want to know?

MFP

A good start. I am curious how high temperatures affect the body's systems, i.e. cardiovascular system..., cells, and chemicals. Are people diagnosed with a particular disease more susceptible to heat-waves? Can they actually benefit from a heat-wave?

Originally posted by GreatTech
A good start. I am curious how high temperatures affect the body's systems, i.e. cardiovascular system..., cells, and chemicals. Are people diagnosed with a particular disease more susceptible to heat-waves? Can they actually benefit from a heat-wave?

Typically, you start seeing problems when temperatures are constantly at ~104 F, you will begin to see neurological problems. When you get a degree or two higher than this for a prolonged period of time, brain death can occur. It's really no different than a high grade fever, biologically. I don't really know of any diseases that would exacerbate this condition, and there is NO BENEFIT for ANYONE in a heat-wave. No one will become healthier or be relieved of any prior existing conditions due to high body temp. It can only cause death and tissue destruction.

MFP

Hey BLS -

A related question here.

Can a person have hyperthermia and NOT have an infection, and not a rise in body temp from alcohol or drugs?

JDub

Originally posted by BlueTileSpook
Hey BLS -

A related question here.

Can a person have hyperthermia and NOT have an infection, and not a rise in body temp from alcohol or drugs?

JDub

Yes, hyperthermia as a result of hot weather can occur without any drug/alcohol use and is not a result of an infection.

MFP

That happens to me winter and summer, regardless of temp.

Feel like I am burning up from the inside out. The sweat just pours, I can lay an ice pack on my bare chest and melt it completely in less than 10 minutes.

I am on no meds from my docs, I have no history of illegal drug use and I don't drink alcohol.

I am not asking for a DX, just some ideas to research.

My docs aren't concerned as there are more pressing neurological issues to be dealt with.

Any ideas?

JDub

Hmm, this is just a guess, but it may be something metabolic. Do you ever faint, have dizzy spells, confusion, that sort of thing? Or is it more just you being hot all the time? Also, it's perfectly normal for ice to melt quickly on your chest. Your chest should be 98 degrees farenheit, the melting temperature of ice is ~32.5 degrees. If your doctors aren't treating it, regardless of your other conditions, I would say it's probably not something to worry about. No doctor would ignore a condition that could turn into a malpractice suit should it become more serious as a result of negligence.

MFP

*laughing*

Yeah, I have quite a few neurological problems when it comes to balance. No fainting, some short-term memory loss, some long-term memory loss and neuropathy in my face, hands and feet.

My hands become extremely warm and swell for approximately 1-4 hours at a time in addition to the "burning from the inside out" feeling. It is not a burning sensation on the skin, just like wearing a winter coat in the summer time and not being able to strip enough clothes off to cool off.

And no, no malpractice suit here. It's not that serious because it is not really chronic, just two or three times a month.

JDub

Originally posted by BlueTileSpook
*laughing*

Yeah, I have quite a few neurological problems when it comes to balance. No fainting, some short-term memory loss, some long-term memory loss and neuropathy in my face, hands and feet.

My hands become extremely warm and swell for approximately 1-4 hours at a time in addition to the "burning from the inside out" feeling. It is not a burning sensation on the skin, just like wearing a winter coat in the summer time and not being able to strip enough clothes off to cool off.

And no, no malpractice suit here. It's not that serious because it is not really chronic, just two or three times a month.

JDub

Two or three times a month is chronic. As a comparison, genital herpes may only flare up once a month, if not every two months, and is considered a chronic condition. Your case does sound, however, like it is related to something neurological. It is definitely producing symptoms, so most likely not psychosomatic, but may be tied into your pre-existing conditions possibly? Without seeing you in person or reading your charts, however, it would be medically and ethically irresponsible of me to strongly suggest any sort of diagnosis or treatment. The best course of action would probably be to ask your physician if this may be tied to your neurologic condition. The loss of balance, but lack of syncope, makes me think it IS, in fact, neurologic. Most diseases heat related conditions that induce confusion and loss of balance will almost always result in syncope.

MFP

I am working with the top ALS neurologist in my state at a teaching hospital in a large city. I do not have ALS, I see him as a movement disorder doctor.

He has exhausted his testing ideas and is now scratching his head about what is going on with me.

I have had an NCV and EMG completed on my arms and legs. The EMG was clean but the NCV showed severely delayed signaling in my arms and legs.

My MRI's have been clean, my CT's have been clean, my xrays have been clean, so he can't figure it out. We are at the stage where we have to wait for something to break to find out what is going on.

And no, I was not looking for a DX or TX from you. I have searched and searched on the internet and found some medical conditions that I match the majority of symptoms of, but not enough for a positive DX in my mind or the doc's mind.

Just wondered if you had any similar cases.

Thank you for your time.

JDub

No problem at all, I enjoy puzzles. It seems like your doctor is doing all the right things, and as is unfortunately the case with some conditions, you truly do have to wait for something fairly major to occur before you can pin down a cause.

I hope everything gets better for you and you figure out what is causing these sweats and heat flashes.

MFP

BlueTileSpook
I know of one case that reminds me of what you describe. An elderly man when I met him, had the feelings of burning and the heat (from adulthood on, I believe), also periodic swelling in the legs. He eventually suffered some sort of attack that left him paralyzed on one half of his body. He made a good recovery, but it took about a decade.

The doctors never knew what hit him. They thought stroke at first, but all his tests came back negative. According to their instruments he was healthy, but he was clearly suffering from something. Like I said, he recovered, and he's alive today, so I guess whatever it was, it wasn't fatal.

WO -

Thanks for the input.

My legs and arms have gone the opposite way. They are getting extremely thin and I am losing muscle in my hands. The surgeon said I will probably lose the use of my hands by the end of this year.

JDub

I have problems with the heat and some medications due to malignant hyperthermia. A condition that when triggered does not allow the heat your body generates to dissipate and in very severe cases can in general cause your body to fry your own brain. My case is not severe but it does make me more susceptible to heat in the summer and I have to monitor myself to make sure I get to a cool place when I am too hot. My body will stop sweating and I just can't cool off so I have to have air conditioning.

Probably no relation to what Blue Tile Spook is speaking of. I hope they find out what is causing your problem and can fix it.

This summer heat-wave from California, USA is horrible. I hope there are better solutions than drinking large quantities of water. Isn't medical science beyond this?

Originally posted by GreatTech
This summer heat-wave from California, USA is horrible. I hope there are better solutions than drinking large quantities of water. Isn't medical science beyond this?

Well...considering the CAUSE of the heat related deaths is loss of body water....doesn't replenishing that water seem like the best solution? We can't give you a drug for everything, love.

Please read up on a condition before accusing us docs of not doing our best.

Mariella

The other thing you can do to stop yourself suffering from heatstroke/heat exhaustion is the other most obvious one, stay out of the heat......... stick to the shade, don't spend prolonged hours in the direct sun, dont over do the exercise in the intense heat, etc, and as said above keep drinking lots of water.

There is a drug being developed, it is called common sense, amazingly some people are born with this gift................

remember, listen to your doc.

A small update on the summer heat, year 2006: check out

www.nytimes.com...

for the heat wave in California,

and

www.cbsnews.com...

for a few recommendations on how we can battle the heat.