Sunstroke treatment at home. Sunstroke: symptoms, treatment, consequences Mild sunstroke symptoms

Sunstroke is a type of heat stroke, and it occurs in the case of prolonged (or not so) exposure to sunlight on a person’s head.

Causes and symptoms

The mechanism of sunstroke is simple. Exposure to direct sunlight on the head leads to heating of the skin, soft tissues, and skull. Excessive heat "gets" to the brain, while damaging its nerve tissues and membranes. As a result, the brain and membranes swell, petechial hemorrhages are observed, as well as focal changes in the central nervous system.

The presence of the following external and internal factors increases the likelihood of sunstroke:

  • air temperature above 30?С;
  • high air humidity;
  • excess clothing on the body;
  • fluid deficiency in the body;
  • active physical work;
  • overweight;
  • diseases of the central nervous system (central nervous system);
  • taking certain medications (CNS stimulants, antiallergic drugs);
  • the presence of a person with hypertension or coronary heart disease;
  • immaturity of heat transfer mechanisms (in children).

Sunstroke is difficult to confuse with other diseases, its symptoms appear abruptly and develop quickly. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after sun exposure, you are most likely suffering from sunstroke:

  • the face and body turned red, the pupils dilated;
  • there was a severe headache, dizziness;
  • it darkens in the eyes, and the body seems to be “cottoned”;
  • you are very sick (up to vomiting), you are covered in cold sweat;
  • your body temperature is elevated, you breathe quickly.

Remember, first aid for sunstroke should be provided immediately after the first symptoms appear. In no case should you take a wait-and-see attitude. Otherwise, secondary symptoms may develop, such as:

  • a significant increase in body temperature (up to 40? C and above);
  • quickening and weakening of the pulse;
  • disorders of consciousness, hallucinations;
  • convulsions;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • decline in cardiac activity;
  • coldness and cyanosis of the skin;
  • and even death.

First aid for sunstroke

A necessary condition for first aid in case of sunstroke is the implementation of cooling the body by any (within reason) means.

Action algorithm:

  1. Call an ambulance.
  2. Move the injured person to a cool room or at least shade.
  3. Lay a person down, take off his outer clothing, make a roller out of it and place it under the ankle area.
  4. Give the person a drink, cool mineral water is best.
  5. Apply an ice pack or bottle of cold water to the back of your head and forehead.
  6. Wet any cloth (such as a sheet) and wrap the victim in it.
  7. Spray the victim's body and face with cool water. If possible, have a cool bath.
  8. Turn on the air conditioner (fan) or just fan the patient, he needs a constant circulation of cool air.
  9. If a person has lost consciousness, pour ammonia on a cotton wool and let him smell it.
  10. In case of cessation of cardiac activity, give the person artificial respiration and heart massage.

Traditional medicine recommends onions or horseradish as first aid for sunstroke. To alleviate the condition with onions (horseradish), you need to rub your palms and soles of your feet, or at least breathe in the smell of chopped onions (horseradish) for a while.

Medical care for sunstroke consists in the use of drugs that help overcome secondary heart failure (camphor, caffeine), as well as intravenous administration of saline, glucose, and sometimes adrenaline. If necessary, prescribe sedatives. In some cases, bloodletting and lumbar puncture are necessary.

After a stroke, a person is shown several days of bed rest. This time will be spent by the body on the resumption of normal activity of the central nervous system, blood circulation and disturbed biochemical processes.

Sunstroke in children

In the body of any person, including the body of a child, two processes are constantly going on: the process of generating heat and the process of its return. Heat leaves the body in two ways: sweating and exhaling warm air.

At high air temperatures, especially in the case of direct exposure to sunlight, the baby's unformed heat transfer mechanism is easily broken, so parents must create all the conditions for the child so that the processes of heat production and release proceed normally. Among these conditions:

  • Dress your child in light, natural clothing so that sweat can evaporate. Remember that sweat tends to take away excess heat from the body only if it evaporates, and not when it is absorbed into clothing;
  • Let the baby drink a lot. The more fluid enters the body, the more sweat it releases and the less likely it is to get sunstroke;
  • Don't let your child move too much. The more active the baby, the more heat his body produces;
  • In direct sunlight, a child of any age should wear a light-colored hat.

If during exposure to the sun your baby has become lethargic, pale, while he complains of nausea, headache and dizziness, and his body temperature is clearly elevated, you have every reason to suspect sunstroke in the child.

Action algorithm:

  1. Hide the baby from the sun, it's great if you can take him to a cool room.
  2. Take off your shoes and clothes.
  3. Provide a supply of cool air to where the child is. To do this, turn on the air conditioner or fan. If they are not available, just fan the child vigorously.
  4. Wrap your baby in a wet cloth.
  5. Give him a drink.
  6. If possible, give your child a cool bath or shower.
  7. If symptoms persist, especially if the child loses consciousness, call an ambulance immediately.

After the child has become easier, in order to avoid possible complications, it is necessary to show the child to the doctor.

First aid for sunstroke involves the creation of optimal control of thermoregulation. When the temperature curve rises to 39 degrees, the skin of the child becomes pale, the victim appears excited, and shortness of breath increases.

When these symptoms appear, adequate therapeutic measures should be taken.

Violation of the thermal balance is carried out in extreme conditions. Overheating of the body is accompanied by a violation of the functionality of the muscular system. Violation of heat transfer, increased sweating leads to a number of serious consequences:

  • Coma;
  • Intoxication;
  • Cerebral edema.

Against the background of stagnant changes in the brain and internal organs, the likelihood of inflammatory reactions provoked by opportunistic bacteria, viruses, and fungi increases. In such a situation, the body responds by increasing the production of pyretic substances. Increasing the temperature to 38 degrees creates optimal conditions for the death of bacteria.

The main causes of febrile reaction in children with overheating in the sun

With solar overheating, hyperthermia develops according to the type of fever (daily fluctuation of the temperature curve). Against the background of pathogenetic changes, secondary consequences arise:

  • Edema of cerebral vessels;
  • Increased capillary permeability;
  • Compression of arteries by inflammatory fluid.

In response to overheating or penetration of infectious agents, the body responds with the production of exogenous pyrogens, which are a complex of peptidoglycans, superantigens, and lipopolysaccharides. The compounds act on the central organ of thermoregulation - the hypothalamus. Major anti-inflammatory cytokines:

  • Interferon alpha;
  • Tumor necrosis factor;
  • Interleukin-6;
  • Interleukin-1 beta.

These chemical compounds activate inflammation, induce the flow of monocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells to the site of skin damage.

The activation of thermoregulatory neurons is carried out due to the activation of prostaglandin, which has an activating effect on the thermoregulatory neurons of the anterior lobe of the hypothalamus.

Fever is characterized by jumps in temperature with a run of more than 1 degree. Normal temperature is defined as the imbalance between heat production and thermal removal.

Hyperthermic syndrome is accompanied by microcirculation disorders, metabolic disorders, dysfunction of vital organs. Clinicians understand hyperthermia as an increase or decrease in temperature with a difference of 1 degree.

Normal temperature response is not characterized by daily fluctuations of more than 1 degree. There is a difference in determining thermia in different parts of the body:

  1. In the armpit - up to 37.5 degrees;
  2. Rectal option - up to 37,

Update: October 2018

Heat stroke and sunstroke are dangerous conditions that, without timely help, directly threaten human life. They are accompanied by vomiting, headache, lethargy, flickering of "flies", changes in blood pressure, and heart rhythm disturbances. In severe cases, coma and death are possible. Symptoms of sunstroke are more pronounced at high humidity.

Difference Between Heat Stroke and Sun Stroke

Heatstroke is a specific symptom complex that occurs as a result of severe overheating of the body. The essence of heat stroke is to accelerate the processes of heat generation and a parallel decrease in heat transfer in the body.

  • Heat stroke can happen both in hot weather and in conditions of elevated temperature in a bathhouse, sauna, hot shop, transport, etc.
  • Sunstroke is a type or special case of heat stroke that occurs due to exposure to direct sunlight. Due to overheating, an expansion of the vessels of the head occurs, respectively, the blood flow to this area increases.

Heatstroke is more insidious and more dangerous due to the fact that not always the patient can associate his condition with overheating, while with sunstroke everything is obvious. Some doctors begin to follow a false diagnostic path and try to find pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels, heart (depending on the symptoms), while a person actually has a violation of thermoregulation.

What happens to the body during heat stroke?

Thermoregulation of the body proceeds in normal physiological reactions at a body temperature of about 37 C, with fluctuations of one and a half degrees. When external conditions change, the mechanism of heat transfer also changes, pathological reactions turn on:

  • at the initial stage, a short stage of compensation occurs, when the body is still coping with overheating;
  • compensatory actions against the background of overheating lead to a breakdown of the thermoregulation mechanism;
  • body temperature rises: the body tries to create a balance by equalizing its own temperature with the environment;
  • adaptation mechanisms are exhausted, a stage of decompensation occurs;
  • develops general intoxication, acidosis, DIC, renal and heart failure. In extreme cases, the energy supply of the brain stops, its edema and hemorrhage develop.

Causes of sunstroke

What causes heat stroke:

  • Prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures, lack of or poor air conditioning;
  • Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight in case of sunstroke;
  • Poor adaptive response of the body to an increase in environmental temperature;
  • Overwrapping of small children.

Risk factors in the development of heat and sunstroke

  • Elderly and children's age, pregnancy;
  • The presence of chronic diseases: hypertension and coronary heart disease, thyroid pathology, diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, hepatitis, mental illness;
  • History of stroke or heart attack;
  • Hormonal disorders;
  • Allergy;
  • Anhidrosis and hyperhidrosis;
  • Overweight;
  • Increased weather sensitivity (see);
  • Alcoholic or drug intoxication;
  • Insufficient drinking regime, reception;
  • Intensive physical labor;
  • Increased air humidity;
  • Taking certain drugs that reduce the body's ability to thermoregulate: tricyclic antidepressants, amphetamines, MAO inhibitors;
  • Tight clothing, rubberized, synthetic.

Symptoms in adults and children

  • Redness of the skin;
  • The skin is cold to the touch, sometimes with a bluish tint;
  • Weakness, drowsiness;
  • Clouding of consciousness, shortness of breath;
  • cold sweat, severe headache and dizziness;
  • pupil dilation, darkening of the eyes;
  • Increased and weakened pulse;
  • High temperature (up to 40 C);
  • Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain;
  • urinary retention;
  • Unsteadiness of gait;
  • In severe cases: convulsions,.

The symptoms of heat stroke in children are the same, only the clinic will always be more pronounced, and the condition will be more severe. The only symptom that is more typical for children is nosebleeds due to heat stroke.

Signs of sunstroke

The symptoms of sunstroke in adults are similar to those of heatstroke. There may be several symptoms, but always the patient will indicate prolonged exposure to the sun. As a rule, the harmful effects of the sun, in addition to the general condition, will affect the condition of the skin, which will be red, swollen, touching the skin is extremely painful and unpleasant (see)

Symptoms of sunstroke in children are not much different from adults. Children are always more difficult to tolerate overheating, become whiny or, conversely, apathetic, refuse to drink and eat. For a child's body with not yet formed thermoregulation mechanisms, a 15-minute stay in direct sunlight is enough to get a sunstroke!

Depending on the prevailing symptoms, several forms of heat stroke are distinguished:

  • Asphyxia - slowing down of all functions of the central nervous system, including respiratory;
  • Pyretic, when the body temperature reaches 40-41 C;
  • Cerebral - with convulsions and clouding of consciousness;
  • Gastroenteric- diarrhea and vomiting with urinary retention.

By severity, doctors classify heat and sunstroke into mild, moderate and severe. A severe degree in 30% of cases leads to the death of the victim.

First, mild degree:

  • nausea, headache
  • dry mouth
  • weakness, lethargy
  • dilated pupils,
  • rapid breathing,
  • tachycardia (rapid heart rate).

Average degree:

  • intense headache, dizziness
  • muscle weakness, a sharp decline in strength (uncertain, shaky gait from weakness)
  • vomiting, nausea
  • stupor, semi-consciousness
  • respiration and pulse rate
  • fever 39-40C
  • nosebleed
  • ophthalmic disorders: double vision, darkening, "flies", difficulty concentrating the gaze.

Severe form:

  • a sharp reddening of the skin, then replaced by bluish coloration
  • asphyxia
  • acute heart failure
  • loss of consciousness, delusions, hallucinations
  • clonic and tonic seizures
  • involuntary urination and defecation
  • fever 41-42C
  • hemorrhage in the brain
  • death in 30% of cases.

Long-term consequences are: in neurological symptoms, impaired coordination of movements, diseases of the cardiovascular system, visual impairment.

First aid

First aid actions play a major role in preventing the progression of thermoregulatory disorders. They must be coordinated, efficient, and most importantly - timely!

  • Isolate the victim from the damaging factor - heat: plant in the shade, take to a cool room, etc .;
  • Give the patient a cool drink, green tea at room temperature. You can not drink coffee, energy drinks, and even more so alcohol;
  • Call an ambulance. Do not undertake to assess the severity of the victim's condition - even if objectively the person feels well, he should be examined by a doctor;
  • If consciousness is disturbed - give a sniff of ammonia, rub and pinch behind the earlobes, lightly click on the nose;
  • Remove clothing that increases body heat and restricts movement;
  • Open windows, i.e. provide fresh air;
  • Put the floor on the head with a roller from improvised means;
  • Cover the body with a damp cloth;
  • If there are sunburns on the skin, apply cool lotions to them, which should be changed as the tissue heats up and dries. If there is panthenol at hand, lubricate the places with burns with it;
  • Cold compresses should be placed on the forehead and under the back of the head: a cold towel, pieces of ice wrapped in a cloth, a special cooling bag, a bottle of cold water;
  • If the patient can move on his own, place him under the shower or in a cool bath. If movement is difficult, douse the body with cool water.

How to avoid overheating?

  • Avoid increased physical activity and passive exposure to direct sunlight from 11.00 to 16.00, i.е. during hours of high solar activity;
  • Protect yourself from the sun: wear a light-colored hat, use an umbrella, relax under a canopy or in the shade of trees;
  • Wear clothes made from natural fabrics and light colors;
  • Maintain sufficient drinking regimen, drinking at least 2 liters of water per day;
  • When working or staying in rooms with high air temperature, open windows more often, use air conditioners and fans, periodically go out to cool rooms for 5-10 minutes;
  • Avoid overeating, especially fatty and spicy foods that take water from the body;
  • You can not drink alcohol and even weak alcoholic drinks in hot weather.
  • Well, the last recommendation applies to those who have already experienced heat or sunstroke: do not rush to return to your usual way of life, as soon as you feel better, restore your strength, because repeated heatstroke can happen on the same day and with more severe symptoms!

Sunstroke is a pathological condition that occurs due to prolonged exposure to the sun's rays on the surface of the head. The result is overheating, which causes vasodilation, local temperature increase and changes in the process of blood circulation in the brain in adults and children.

In some cases, the desire to get a tan is so great that the need for protection against high temperatures and sunlight is forgotten. Hot weather and significant physical activity, combined with a number of other factors, lead to a violation of the thermoregulation process, and then to hyperthermia. The result is heat stroke.

Sunstroke - characteristic

Sunstroke is one of the manifestations of heat stroke, but due to a different development mechanism, nosology distinguishes this pathological condition into a separate clinical form.

Sunstroke in a child and an adult is caused by hyperinsolation, that is, a large portion of the sun's rays, which acts on the surface of a person's head for a long time. Hyperthermia does not cover the rest of the body (this is the difference between heat and sunstroke and, accordingly, the further reaction of the body).

The pathogenesis of the syndrome is as follows:

  • the cerebral cortex is exposed to direct sunlight (usually from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.);
  • there is a rapid increase in local temperature;
  • there is a reaction in the form of redness and swelling of all membranes of the brain;
  • the structures of the main organ of the central nervous system are overflowing with liquor (cerebrospinal fluid), compression of the brain occurs;
  • there is an increase in blood pressure;
  • there are violations in the work of the centers that control the functionality of the internal organs and systems of the body;
  • the result is severe disorders of the patient's body and death.

Important! Sunstroke requires immediate assistance, as the possibility of developing a number of serious consequences increases every minute.

The reasons

Hyperthermia of the surface of the head appears precisely under the action of infrared radiation. It is able to penetrate into the tissues and systems of the body to a considerable depth, causing anatomical and physiological changes and disorders.

The main causes of the syndrome are:

  • lack of protective equipment (primarily headgear);
  • physical activity during the period when the sun is at its zenith;
  • lack of wind on the street;
  • long walks, staying on the sea coast during rush hour;
  • treatment with a number of drugs that disrupt the balance of thermoregulation processes;
  • intake of high-calorie foods and drinking alcohol in an unusual temperature regime (individual reaction).

The opportunity to meet the aggressive action of direct sunlight increases if a person has problems with pressure, heart, abnormal body weight. Nervousness, smoking, one-year-old and old age are additional factors that increase the risk of developing the problem.

Differentiating between heat stroke and sunstroke in a child and an adult is an important point for first aid. Doctors need to know which area and structures of the body of the victim should pay close attention.

The symptoms and treatment of sunstroke in adults and children are separate issues that should be carefully studied, especially by parents with toddlers.

Consequences of sunstroke

Symptoms of sunstroke must be stopped immediately, since the pathological condition is fraught with the following possible complications:

  • respiratory failure;
  • stroke;
  • insufficiency of the heart and blood vessels;
  • headache;
  • decreased visual acuity;
  • lack of coordination;
  • coma;
  • paralysis;
  • fatal outcome.

Symptoms (signs) of sunstroke

The clinic may vary depending on the severity of the condition of the victim. The picture of symptoms depends on the duration of a person's stay under the direct rays of the sun, the time of elimination of the provoking factor.

Nosology says that

mild degree

pathology is characterized by:

  • significant weakness;
  • headaches;
  • bouts of nausea and vomiting;
  • tachycardia and rapid breathing;
  • pupil dilation.

On a note! The pressure may rise or remain normal.

Signs of sunstroke

medium degree

heaviness manifests itself:

  • decrease in working capacity;
  • stunned;
  • dizziness;
  • change in gait;
  • intractable nausea and vomiting.

The patient loses consciousness, tachycardia and frequent breathing appear, epistaxis, hyperthermia (increase in body temperature) up to 39 degrees or more.

Sunstroke symptoms

severe

develop suddenly;

  • the patient has a red face, which later changes the color of the skin to the opposite (blue);
  • consciousness is disturbed up to coma;
  • convulsions appear;
  • urinary and fecal incontinence occurs;
  • possible hallucinations;
  • body temperature rises rapidly to 41 and above degrees.

There are a number of factors that determine how long the temperature lasts during a sunstroke:

  • what was the severity of the pathology;
  • the length of time from the onset of the problem to the provision of first aid for sunstroke;
  • the presence of concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system;
  • individual characteristics of the body of an adult and a child;
  • conducting medical treatment.

Important! Mortality in the case of severe pathology can reach 30%.

Signs of sunstroke in children develop much faster and more severely than in adults. For a child's body, a sharp change in temperature and exposure to heat and the scorching sun is a big stress. Parents may meet the ambulance team with complaints of the following symptoms:

  • weakness, drowsiness;
  • indomitable vomiting;
  • rise in temperature to 40 degrees;
  • headaches and dizziness in a child;
  • severe degree of stunning;
  • low pressure (if measured at home);
  • lack of consciousness;
  • convulsions.

Experts identify several nosological forms of sunstroke in a child and an adult:

  1. Asphyctic variant - symptoms of sunstroke are manifested by respiratory failure, heart failure. A severe degree is characterized by changes in the nervous system and the physiological activity of the centers that are in the brain and regulate the functioning of internal organs.
  2. Cerebral variant - manifested by severe damage to the nervous system, convulsions, severe weakness, headaches, fever up to 41 degrees. There is a high chance of developing a coma.
  3. Gastroenteric variant - characterized by symptoms of damage to the digestive system. Against the background of sunstroke, in parallel with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, a rise in body temperature in the form of fever up to 40 degrees may occur.
  4. Hyperthermic variant - the main symptom is a rapid increase in body temperature. The thermometer reaches 42 degrees. The temperature curve is kept at prohibitively high numbers. A fever appears, that is, the temperature is combined with chills or a feeling of heat, body aches, muscle pain.

Important! The reaction of the patient's body to sunstroke (or heat) can be different, so clinicians decided to combine a number of symptoms into syndromes. This allows you to quickly conduct a differential diagnosis with other diseases and prescribe adequate treatment.

What to do with sunstroke

Many readers are probably wondering what to do if you get sunstroke. It does not matter who is the victim - you, your loved ones or just a stranger.

First of all, you should call a team of qualified doctors. Prior to their arrival:

  • eliminate the provoking factor of sunstroke;
  • reduce the heat of the surface of the head;
  • control the activity of vital organs and systems;
  • minimize the risk of complications.

First aid for sunstroke

Thermoregulation must be restored, otherwise the likelihood of developing the consequences of a sunstroke increases tenfold.

First aid

The first thing to do is to normalize the temperature around the victim. The patient should be taken to a shade or a cool room. Next, it is important to lay the patient on a hard surface with a raised foot end. The head should be kept turned to the side. This is the stage of preventing the flow of vomit into the respiratory tract.

Air

The patient may have difficulty breathing. Access to fresh air, blowing with a fan, the presence of an air cooling system in the room are factors that should be used to provide non-medical care.

Use of cool water

This phase of sunstroke relief consists of several:

  • applying a cool compress to the back of the head, crown, temples - the optimum temperature of the water is in the range of 20-22 degrees;
  • spraying water on the upper body;
  • prevention of dehydration of the body (give plenty of water to drink at a temperature of 20-22 degrees, if the person is conscious).

In addition to ordinary water without gas, you can use Regidron (sold in a pharmacy), a home-made solution of water, salt and sugar (a stage in restoring the level of electrolytes in the body).

Help with fainting

Fainting on the background of a sunstroke can occur in case of cardiac pathology, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, changes in the speed of blood flow through the vessels of the brain, against the background of fever and dizziness. Concomitant human diseases can also be provoking factors.

If fainting occurs, the following actions should be taken:

  1. Release the victim from clothing, especially in the neck and chest area.
  2. Provide access to fresh air.
  3. Lay so that the legs are higher than the head.
  4. Measure blood pressure, heart rate. Physiological parameters should be monitored before the arrival of doctors.
  5. Let the vapors of the ammonia solution (ammonia) be inhaled.

Important! In the absence of vital signs, resuscitation should be initiated.

Prohibitions

When sunstroke is prohibited:

  • to lower the temperature by drinking cool drinks containing caffeine;
  • use alcoholic beverages;
  • to combat fever, apply ice and compresses with very cold water (the body's reaction can only worsen the victim's well-being);
  • independently use drugs to combat an increase in temperature indicators or other symptoms that arose against the background of a sunstroke.

First medical aid (PMP)

How to treat sunstroke, qualified specialists will tell you. Treatment of pathology consists in restoring vital signs of the body and correcting the activity and functional state of internal organs through the use of medications.

  1. Restoring the balance of water and electrolytes - against the background of a sunstroke, there is a possibility of developing dehydration. To prevent using Ringer's solutions, glucose, saline.
  2. Support for the work of the heart and blood vessels is possible due to the introduction of cardiotonic drugs, cardiac glycosides, drugs that increase blood pressure.
  3. Prevention of the development of cerebral edema is the use of Pentamine. It is a ganglion blocker, effectively used in such situations.
  4. In a serious condition of the patient, oxygen therapy, intubation, pacing, stimulation of diuresis are prescribed.

Important! Treatment and attempts to reduce the patient's temperature curve to normal with NSAIDs will not be effective. It will be possible to stop hyperthermia only after cooling the surface of the head.

Treatment of sunstroke at home is not allowed. Medications, their regimen and dosage should be prescribed by a qualified doctor, taking into account concomitant diseases and possible complications. The patient will be monitored in the hospital during the treatment period.

How to treat sunstroke in a child

The skin and surface of the head of children are more sensitive to the possible receipt of a large dose of infrared radiation, so sunstroke in babies occurs more often and faster. There may be moodiness, tearfulness, irritability, which are replaced by drowsiness and apathy.

These symptoms are followed by redness of the skin of the face and head, cephalgia. Measurement of temperature indicators shows the intersection of the mark of 39-40 degrees, fever appears. The temperature curve is kept at high degrees even after taking antipyretics. These drugs are contraindicated, but parents unknowingly give children a drink, thinking that the cause of hyperthermia is a cold or gastrointestinal disease (for example, food poisoning).

First aid for sunstroke in children should be provided immediately, since the consequences of the condition, as in adults, can be convulsions, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, CNS disease, coma.

Treatment of this form of nosology involves the use in a medical institution:

  • solutions for intravenous drip infusion;
  • cardiotonic means;
  • drugs that prevent cerebral edema;
  • medicines that support the work of the central nervous system and the respiratory apparatus.

Prevention of sunstroke

Precautions include:

  • wearing a headdress;
  • visiting the beach and performing physical work at certain times of the day (before 11 and after 16 hours of the day);
  • consumption of large amounts of drinking water;
  • ban on sleeping on the beach;
  • if it is impossible to refuse to visit the beach during the daytime, choose a shade and use sun protection.

It is better to prevent the occurrence of pathology than to spend time and effort on restoring health.

Video

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat, stuffiness, and also in the sun can lead to overheating of the body, resulting in heat or sunstroke. Both of these conditions are critical and, if left untreated, can lead to serious consequences, including death. In this article, we will talk about how to protect the body from heat and sunstroke, and what to do to alleviate the condition of the victim.

What is the cause of these conditions?

The skin is actively involved in heat transfer. If the external environment has a high temperature, the vessels of the skin expand, enhancing heat transfer. At the same time, heat is lost through sweat. At a low temperature of the environment, the vessels of the skin spasm, preventing heat loss.

Thermoreceptors are involved in the regulation of this process - sensitive "temperature sensors" located in the skin. During the day, under normal conditions, a person loses up to a liter of sweat, in the heat this amount can reach 5-10 liters.

At a high external temperature, the body, in order to function normally, is forced to accelerate the process of heat transfer and sweating increases. If no cooling measures are taken, then such measures become insufficient and thermoregulation fails due to overheating.

Heatstroke can be caused by:

  • physical stress, fatigue,
  • high air temperature or high humidity,
  • eating habits (predominance of fatty foods in the diet increases the risk of temperature shock)
  • environmental factors (high temperature conditions of the environment against the background of high humidity),
  • the use of certain drugs that block sweating, and hence the cooling of the body
  • airtight clothing.

Heatstroke can happen not only under the rays of the scorching sun. If a person is in a stuffy, unventilated room, the threat of overheating is just as high.

Cause of sunstroke is the effect of ultraviolet rays of the sun on the open head of a person. To protect yourself from the sun, remember to wear a hat and stay out of the sun for more than 4 hours. It is necessary to take breaks and cool off in cool rooms or in the shade.

How to recognize: heat and sunstroke?

What to do with sunstroke at home?

As with heat stroke, the victim must be moved to the shade, provided with air access and freed from squeezing clothing.

  1. Call an ambulance immediately. If help is not provided at this stage, then loss of consciousness, disturbances in the work of the heart, including a heart attack, as well as respiratory failures, are possible.
  2. The person must be taken to the shade, put on his back and slightly raise his head.
  3. You can cool the body by covering the victim with a damp cloth, or by lightly spraying him with a spray bottle. Place a wet compress on your forehead.
  4. Water should be given at room temperature in unlimited quantities.
  5. In case of loss of consciousness, you need to bring the person to life with the help of a cotton swab dipped in ammonia.

These actions can save the victim from big trouble. The main thing is that first aid should be quick.

What to do with sunstroke if a person is very overheated? In this case, the victim is recommended to immediately send to the hospital. This is the only way to help him with a severe form of this condition.

In any case, even if the condition of the victim improves, it is necessary to call an ambulance. The medical staff will assess his condition from a medical point of view, if necessary, provide transportation to a medical institution.

What can not be done in such a state?

  • It is impossible to close the patient in a stuffy room- it is necessary to ensure oxygen access as much as possible, which means that windows and doors should be opened, improvised fans should be built.
  • It is dangerous to try to fill the lack of fluid with beer, tonics, any alcohol - this can aggravate the condition by adding toxic damage to the brain edema.

That is, we can say that sunstroke is partial thermal, but occurs only due to prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, while thermal occurs during a long stay in hot rooms.

Overheating of the body is accompanied by increased sweating with a significant loss of water and salts by the body, which leads to thickening of the blood, an increase in its viscosity, difficulty in blood circulation and tissue hypoxia.

After receiving a sunstroke, a sick person needs:

  • Bed rest at home;
  • Plentiful drink (cool water without gas, compotes, fruit drinks, natural juices);
  • Regularly ventilated area;
  • Wet cleaning and elimination of dust in the air;
  • Hot food is prohibited for 2 days;
  • It is recommended to give warm, light food that is not capable of causing nausea.

Who is at risk?

Sunstroke and heat stroke easily occur in children, adolescents and the elderly, because due to their age their body has certain physiological characteristics, the system of internal thermoregulation of their body is imperfect.

Also at risk are people who are unaccustomed to the heat, who are obese, who have cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, or who abuse alcohol. If you belong to one of these groups, do not wait for the sun and heat to literally hit your health.

Prevention measures:

  1. Restriction of human exposure to the sun in the period from 11 am to 5 pm.
  2. In summer, especially when the weather is clear and hot, it is necessary to wear a hat to protect your head from direct sunlight.
  3. When working in hot conditions, use overalls to protect against elevated temperatures, and when working in the sun, be sure to use hats.
  4. All those working in hot conditions should have access to a source of potable water and drink plenty of fluids. In the heat, due to intense evaporation, the body loses it in huge quantities, which leads to thickening of the blood, and this can lead not only to impaired thermoregulation, but also to the occurrence of strokes and heart attacks. To ensure a normal salt balance, it is better to drink mineral water or special water-salt solutions.
  5. When carrying out activities in conditions of heat and in the sun, it is necessary to systematically take short breaks for rest, it is advisable to equip a special room with air conditioning for this.
  6. Limit yourself from being outside at lunchtime, as during this period the sun is directly overhead and warms with maximum force. Try to be more and rest in the shade.
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