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HEAT STROKE AND ITS MANAGEMENT: A BRIEF REVIEW

N. R. Livingston Raja*, N. Balakrishnan, S. Antony Selvi, I. Gayathri fathima, L. Benita Mary and M. Soundhararajan

When environment temperature increases that affect the body temperature due to dysfunction of physiologic adaptation mechanisms to cause heat stroke. Heat stroke is a critical issue in our life which is characterized by high core body temperature more than 40°C affects the central nervous system that results in disorientation, convulsions, heat edema, heat cramps, and heat syncope. Even though lowering the body temperature by insistent treatment, heat stroke is over and over again fatal. Mostly elder people, less than 4 years old children, who have chronic illness people, are affected by heat stroke at hot summer climate in the tropical countries. If not treated early may cause multi-organ failure by series changes of metabolic effect, coagulopathy, and death. Mortality rate increased from 10 to 75% in heat stroke if delay treatment. In United States more than hundreds of people died every year. In the year from 1979 to 1997, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention illustrate the data for deaths rate was 7000. In 2015, according to the statistics are available in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heat stroke postulated 335 lives. In this article to make awareness for early recognition, prevention and early treatment by rapidly cooling techniques such as immersion in water at different temperatures, evaporative cooling, ice pack application, pharmacological treatment and invasive techniques are available. It is concluded that most of the heat illness is preventable, manageable and treatable also to reduce the death. Key words: Mortality, Disorientation, Convulsions, Heat Edema, Heat Cramps, Coagulopathy.

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