How Do Heat Stroke, Heat Cramps, and Heat Exhaustion Differ?

Update Date: 2024-05-16 Source: Network

If we spend a long time engaging in activities under high-temperature weather, it is easy to suffer from certain diseases. Heat stroke is actually a disease caused by high temperatures leading to dysregulation of body temperature. Heat cramp is another phenomenon of heatstroke, but the patient's body temperature does not increase. Heat exhaustion occurs when frequent physical exertion in a high-temperature environment leads to circulatory failure. Although these three types of diseases may seem similar, there are significant differences between them.

Heatstroke: It refers to a group of clinical symptoms caused by dysfunction of body temperature regulation due to prolonged exposure to high-temperature environments or physical activities in hot environments. It is characterized by high fever, dry skin, and symptoms of the central nervous system. Severe heatstroke also includes heat cramp, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Heat cramp: Specifically refers to the sudden occurrence of painful muscle spasms during or after physical activity, usually occurring in the muscle groups on the back of the lower limbs (gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon), and can also occur in the abdomen. Muscle spasms may be related to severe sodium deficiency (excessive sweating) and excessive ventilation. Heat cramp may also be an early manifestation of heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion: Specifically refers to excessive loss of body fluids and salts due to excessive sweating, often occurring in people who work or exercise in hot environments without sufficient water replenishment, as well as in people who are not accustomed to high-temperature and humid environments. The specific manifestations are excessive sweating, extreme thirst, fatigue, headache, nausea, and vomiting, high body temperature, and may have obvious signs of dehydration such as tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, or syncope. Heat exhaustion can be an intermediary process between heat cramp and heat stroke, and if not treated promptly, it can develop into heat stroke.

Heat stroke: This is a fatal acute condition that is clinically divided into two types: exertional and non-exertional heat stroke, depending on the patient's condition and pathogenesis at the time of onset. Clinically, heat stroke generally manifests as high fever (rectal temperature ≥41℃), dry skin (which may be moist early on), confusion, seizures, and even lack of response, as well as peripheral circulatory failure or shock. The mortality rate is relatively high.