Heat Stroke Symptoms and Hyperthermia Treatment

Posted by Camp Trainer on Feb 27, 2009 in Tips and Strategies • No comments • 360 views

When hikers head out to the drylands, they tend to be more concerned about rattlesnakes than heat. The opposite should be true. While you’re likely to runinto only a few rattlesnakes, the twin dangers of dehydration and hyperthermia are lurking at every turn.

A desert sun can be implacable as it burns its way across the sky. Take advantage of shade whenever you find it. A 5 minute break under a cottonwood tree or in an abandoned building or a quick dive into a tank full of water, can bring down your body temperature.

And at the risk of being a bore on the subject: Drink! Drink early, drink often, drink again. Don’t wait till you’re thirsty. Never pass a water source, and drink as much as you can. Don’t worry if you feel like a barrel rolling down the trail. You’ll sweat if off soon enough.

credit: vlauria

Electrolyte-replacement drinks help prevent and treat dehydration (they’re used by rangers at Grand Canyon National Park’s first aid stations). If you’re not carrying a drink mix, you can improve one by putting one teasppon each of sugar and salt into a liter of water. And the end of the day, drink some soup before dinner.

Like hypothermia, hyperthermia is insidious: By the time you realize you got it, you’re already in trouble. Learn to recognize the symptoms of heat exhaustion (lightheadedness, nausea, headache, clammy skin, and a rapid pulse) and heat stroke (high temperature and dry skin - not sweaty).

Treatment for both includes drinking, cooling off and resting (preferably in the shade, if necessary string up a ground cloth between whatever’s available - tent poles, packs, a fence, or handy plant) and lay the victim underneath.

Heat stoke is potentially fatal, so you need to bring down body temperature at once. The best treatment is a rubdown with clothing soaked in cool water.