Heat Stroke Specialists in Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi

What is Heat Stroke?

Heat stroke is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's core temperature rises above 104°F and its normal cooling mechanisms fail to bring it back down. It develops most often during extreme heat, especially during India's summer months, when prolonged exposure to high temperatures overwhelms the body's ability to dissipate heat through sweating. Unlike milder heat-related illnesses, heat stroke involves dysfunction of the central nervous system and can rapidly progress to organ damage if not treated as a medical emergency. It is classified as classic heat stroke, occurring in vulnerable individuals during heat waves, or exertional heat stroke, occurring in people engaged in strenuous activity in hot conditions. Immediate cooling and emergency medical care are essential to prevent permanent organ damage or death.

Causes of Heat Stroke

Caused by prolonged exposure to high environmental temperatures combined with humidity that impairs the body's ability to cool itself through sweat evaporation, or by intense physical exertion in hot conditions that generates heat faster than the body can dissipate it. Risk factors include dehydration, older age, young age, obesity, certain medications that impair heat regulation, chronic illness, and lack of acclimatisation to hot climates. Outdoor workers and athletes exercising in extreme heat without adequate hydration are at particularly high risk.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

Very high body temperature above 104°F, hot dry skin or profuse sweating, confusion or altered mental status, rapid heartbeat, throbbing headache, nausea and vomiting, flushed skin, rapid breathing, in severe cases seizures or loss of consciousness

Treatment & Types of Heat Stroke in Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi

Heat stroke is a medical emergency requiring immediate rapid cooling through methods such as ice water immersion, cold water spray with fanning, or cooling blankets, along with emergency transport to a hospital. Intravenous fluids are given to correct dehydration and electrolyte imbalances while vital organ function is closely monitored. Complications such as kidney injury, liver damage, or abnormal blood clotting are managed with supportive intensive care as needed.

Heat stroke is classified as classic (non-exertional) heat stroke, occurring in vulnerable individuals such as the elderly or chronically ill during a heat wave, and exertional heat stroke, occurring in otherwise healthy people engaged in strenuous physical activity in hot conditions, most often athletes or outdoor workers, with the latter typically progressing more rapidly.

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