00:00Extreme heat affects the body in ways people may not realize.
00:04Can you explain what's happening when someone gets too hot?
00:10Sure. So our body naturally uses the environment to cool itself.
00:14So when it's 50 or 70 degrees out, we're fine.
00:17Body temperature typically 98 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:19But when the temperature reaches above 90 degrees and you add humidity,
00:23it decreases our own body's ability to release its heat into the environment and cool itself.
00:28And as the body temperature heats up, it can also lose its ability to regulate its own temperature.
00:33And that cycles on itself.
00:34And so that's when we see heat exhaustion and then heat stroke or heat illness and injury.
00:39And now, Dr. Baskin, one of the differences with this air mass is that underneath the core of the heat,
00:46you don't have any wind and the humidity starts to increase as well.
00:51And that's a big difference, isn't it?
00:54When you don't have any wind to help cool the body.
00:58It is. So the body will sweat and the sweat releases fluid onto the skin.
01:03And then as wind goes by, it pushes the heat off the body without that air moving.
01:08And with the humidity and already having liquid in the air itself sitting there,
01:12it really decreases the body's ability to move its own heat from itself into the natural environment.
01:17And again, it just adds to that cycle and risk for heat injury when we have hot temperatures.
01:21What are some of the earliest symptoms people should never ignore when they've been out in the heat?
01:29Well, in its early stages, heat-related injury can be subtle.
01:33So it can be fatigue, increased thirst, nausea, vomiting sometimes, and oftentimes muscle cramps, which is a symptom of dehydration.
01:41As it progresses, symptoms can become more significant.
01:44There can be subtle confusion, some agitation.
01:46We see it often in older patients and even younger patients, children.
01:49And then it can progress to things like passing out, lightheadedness, and syncope, where that's a presentation we often see
01:56into the emergency department.
01:57In its later stages, very rare, it can progress to things like altered mental status, seizures, and coma.
02:03But that is very rare.
02:04And most of the time, patients seek treatment, seek shelter, get cool, hydrate at the earlier stages.
02:10Beyond simple drinking more water, what advice do you give the patients about staying hydrated during periods of dangerous heat?
02:18So important to stay hydrated.
02:20Try to drink water all throughout the day.
02:22Oftentimes, we're drinking once or twice a day.
02:23Try to stay continually drinking water throughout the day.
02:26Drink water with some electrolytes, either by eating food, electrolyte supplementation, or electrolyte drink.
02:31And try to decrease things that move body water away from our body, like coffee, caffeine, alcohol.
02:38Those can lead to dehydration.
02:40In addition to staying hydrated, though, it's important to stay cool when you're outside.
02:43So be cautious.
02:44If you're going to go outside early morning, late at evening, not at that peak temperature, that can help.
02:49If you're going to be outside midday, wear light, loose clothing that allows the body to breathe when you're outside
02:54so you can stay cool.
02:55Seek shelter, seek shade.
02:57Air conditioning is a great way to cool off.
02:59Safe swim places are a great place to cool off.
03:02And then, of course, if you don't have access to those, public spaces that do are important to stay cool
03:05when you start to feel hot.
03:07Of course, when we're talking about a heat wave, doctor, we tend to focus on the temperatures during the day.
03:14But when temperatures don't drop at night, especially if you don't have air conditioning, that's a risk as well, isn't
03:22it?
03:23It is.
03:24I can't relate enough that we see many people with heat-related injury from homes that overheat, especially into the
03:31evening hours when they're staying immobile in a bed space sleeping, sometimes with covers on themselves.
03:37So it's still a place to have caution, especially with the multiple days of heat over the next week.
03:42It really can build on itself, as can that dehydration put people at risk.
03:46So you have to be cognizant even overnight.
03:49What's the biggest misconception you see every summer about heat-related illness?
03:56Well, people are always worried about hurricanes and tornadoes and floods.
04:00But really, high temperatures and heat are one of the deadliest nature and environmental injuries that we see in the
04:07United States.
04:07So it's important to watch out.
04:09This is actually a very dangerous time of year when it's very hot and can lead to some serious illnesses.
04:14But it's an exciting time of summer to be outside and the sunshine and heat, especially with July 4th coming
04:18and the 250-year anniversary of our country.
04:20So I anticipate many people will be outside.
04:24It's important over the next few days to stay hydrated.
04:26It can really build on themselves because of the heat.
04:28Look for those signs and symptoms and early warning signs.
04:30That's where you can really stop yourself from progressing to more serious heat-related illness.
04:35And watch out for those around us.
04:37Oftentimes, people don't recognize the symptoms early in themselves.
04:40And so looking out for our neighbors, family, friends, community over the holiday weekend is really important.
04:46And that would be my best advice going forward over the next few days.
04:49Dr. Brian Baskin from the Cleveland Clinic, thank you for joining us and helping us better understand how to stay
04:55safe during dangerous heat.
04:58Thanks for having me, Bernie.
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