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Anantapur regularly crosses 42°C between March and June. Heat stroke is a medical emergency with a high death rate, and it is almost entirely preventable.
Heat exhaustion versus heat stroke
Heat exhaustion comes first: heavy sweating, weakness, cramps, nausea, headache, dizziness and a fast pulse, with the person still alert. Moved to shade, cooled and given fluids, most recover fully.
Heat stroke is different and is an emergency. Body temperature exceeds 40°C, the skin often becomes hot and dry as sweating fails, and the person becomes confused, agitated, drowsy or unconscious, sometimes with seizures. Untreated, it damages the brain, kidneys, liver and muscle, and it kills.
Worth knowing
Confusion or altered behaviour in a person exposed to heat is heat stroke until proven otherwise. Begin cooling immediately and call 108 — do not wait to reach hospital before starting.
Emergency cooling while help comes
- Move to shade or an air-conditioned space at once
- Remove outer clothing
- Apply cool water to the whole body and fan vigorously — evaporation is the fastest cooling method available outside hospital
- Place ice packs at the neck, armpits and groin
- If fully conscious, give cool water or oral rehydration solution in sips
- Do not give fluids by mouth to a drowsy or confused person
- Do not give paracetamol — it does not lower temperature caused by external heat
Who is most at risk
- Outdoor workers — farm labour, construction, road work, delivery and traffic duty
- Infants and children, who overheat faster because of their body surface area
- Adults over 65, in whom the thirst mechanism is blunted
- People with heart, kidney or lung disease
- Those on diuretics, some blood pressure drugs, antihistamines and certain psychiatric medicines
- People who consumed alcohol the previous night
Prevention during the hot months
- Avoid outdoor work between 11 am and 4 pm wherever possible; shift heavy work to early morning
- Drink water on a schedule rather than waiting for thirst — pale urine is the target
- Add oral rehydration solution, buttermilk, lemon water with salt, or coconut water when sweating heavily; plain water alone is not enough during prolonged sweating
- Wear loose, light-coloured cotton clothing and cover the head
- Take shaded rest breaks every hour during outdoor work
- Never leave a child or elderly person in a parked vehicle, even briefly
- Check on elderly neighbours living alone during heat waves
When to come to hospital
Come in for confusion, fainting, seizure, a temperature above 40°C, vomiting that prevents fluid intake, no urine for eight hours or more, or muscle pain with dark cola-coloured urine, which suggests muscle breakdown affecting the kidneys.
Recovery from heat stroke needs monitoring for kidney and liver injury for several days, so admission is usual rather than optional.
Key takeaways
- Confusion or altered consciousness in heat means heat stroke — start cooling and call 108.
- Water plus fanning is the most effective emergency cooling method available.
- Drink to a schedule during summer; add salt-containing fluids when sweating heavily.
- Never leave children or elderly people in parked vehicles.
A note on medical advice
This article is general health education written and reviewed by the Preventive Health Check Team at SIMS. It is not a substitute for an examination, a diagnosis or the advice of your own treating doctor, and it cannot account for your history, medicines or reports. If a symptom is sudden or severe — chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding — call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department instead of reading further.
Heat strokeSummerPreventionEmergency
