Heat Stroke Treatment for Children Questions and Answers

Heat stroke is caused when your child’s body is overheating from the sun or has long exposure to high temperatures. Heatstroke requires medical emergency treatment if it becomes severe, and if left untreated can turn worse and quickly damage the brain, kidneys, heart, and muscles If the damage is not dealt with over longer periods of time, it can even increase the risk of serious complications in children.

Heatstroke causes usually occur as a result of:

– Exposure to a high-temperature environment
Heatstroke can be caused from being in a hot environment which leads the body’s core temperature to rise

– Strenuous activity
Heatstroke can also be caused by an increase in the body’s core temperature by being brought on by intense physical activity in hot weather or mild weather

– Wearing excessive clothing
Prevention of letting your body sweat and have access to evaporate to cool down your body can also cause heat stroke

– Drinking excessive amount of alcohol
Drinking alcohol can also affect your body’s inability to regulate your core body temperature

– Becoming severely dehydrated
Not being able to drink enough water to help replenish the fluids you have lost throughout the day from sweating can also cause heat stroke

Treating heat stroke can be different from at home to a medical facility. Medical facilities have the ability to offer you better solutions to treat heat stroke than you would have available at home.

A few ways you can treat heat exhaustion if it’s minor, are:

– Resting in a cool place, with air-conditioning or a shady spot with a fan
– Drink cold fluids, and stick to water or sports drinks
– Wear loose fitting clothing to help your body sweat and let the sweat evaporate
– Take a cool shower or bath, or put several towels in cold water and soak them onto your skin

If you do not begin to feel better within an hour of doing the above measure, make sure you get into an urgent care clinic to seek medical attention. Urgent Care and Emergency Rooms have the ability to offer you more advanced treatments to help you with heat stroke.

Heat stroke is considered one of the most severe forms of heat-induced illness. People with heatstroke can become much sicker than people with other disorders. A few symptoms of heatstroke include:

– Dizziness
– Light-headedness
– Weakness
– Clumsiness
– Poor coordination
– Fatigue
– Headache
– Blurred vision
– Muscle aches
– Nausea
– Vomiting

During heat stroke, the skin usually becomes hot, flushed, and sometimes dry. Sweating occurs, despite the heat will try to evaporate if it can. Due to brain malfunction with the body’s core temperature becoming overheating, people may become confused, disoriented and may begin to have seizures or go into a coma. The heart rate and breathing increase and the pulse rate becomes rapid. If heat stroke goes untreated, it can develop your organs and other vitals to be damaged and become worse.

While heat stroke and sun stroke are considered the same thing, heat stroke and heat exhaustion are not.

Symptoms to look out for when it comes to heat exhaustion:

– General weakness
– Increased heavy sweating
– Weak but faster pulse
– Increasing heart rate
– Nausea or vomiting ensues
– Possible fainting
– Pale, cold, and clammy skin

If heat exhaustion gets worse, it could lead to heat stroke symptoms, which are:

– Elevated body temperature of over 103F
– Rapid and strong pulse
– Rapid heart rate
– Loss or change of consciousness and could become confused
– Hot, dry, red, or moist skin

If your child is showing signs or symptoms of heat stroke or sun stroke visit All Better Pediatrics today. For more information, please call us. We serve patients from Memphis TN, Germantown TN, Bartlett TN, Cordova TN, Collierville TN, Oakville TN and Lenow TN.