Week 7
Cards (14)
- Hypothermia and hyperthermia are two extreme, but equally concerning, states of temperature loss or gain.
- Hypothermia occurs when you lose more heat than your body can produce and you feel very cold.
- Hyperthermia occurs when your body produces more heat than it can lose.
- Hyperthermia refers to a group of heat-related conditions characterized by an abnormally high body temperature
- Hyperthermia is considered separate from conditions where internal body sources, such as infection, heat-regulating problems, and adverse drug reactions or overdoses cause a raised body temperature.
- This stage of hyperthermia causes:
- excessive sweating
- exhaustion
- flushed or red skin
- muscle cramps, spasm, and pain
- headache or mild light-headedness
- nausea
- Types of hyperthermia and their associated symptoms include:
- Heat fatigue and cramps
- Heat exhaustion
- Heat stroke
- Heat exhaustion, if left untreated, can lead to heat stroke, which is a life-threatening condition.
- Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- cold, pale, wet skin
- fast but weak pulse
- headache
- exhaustion
- muscle cramps
- nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- extreme or heavy sweating
- intense thirst
- weakness
- dizziness
- less frequent urination and dark urine attention or concentrating
- mild swelling of the feet and ankles or fingers and hands
- temporarily fainting or losing consciousness
- difficulty paying
- Hyperthermia is also more likely to cause complications in people with heat-related, heart, and blood pressure conditions.
- With heat stroke the body temperature is more than 103°F to 104°F, depending on a person’s normal, average body temperature.
- Without treatment, heat stroke can lead to dangerous complications, especially in young children, those whose immune system is compromised, and people over 65 years of age.
- Another condition that may occur with severe heat stroke is known as rhabdomyolysis. This is when a protein released from damaged skeletal muscle cells causes kidney damage.
- Temperature and many of the other early signs of heat stroke are the same as those for heat exhaustion.