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Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke

Constant hot temperatures can cause people to suffer from heat related illnesses, if they are exposed to the heat for an extended period of time. It’s important to know about these illnesses in order to prevent being affected by these conditions.

The main difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke is what you feel when you are outside for a long time on a warm day, tired, sweaty, and feeling weak all over. A heat stroke is similar, but with an altered mental status. A person suffering from a heat stroke would have signs of an altered mental state, feelings of being disoriented, lethargy, and would need blood tests to prove if the symptoms are indeed a heat stroke. Other signs are shortness of breath, visibly hot, but not sweating.

Some simple rules to follow are:

• Protect those that have a low tolerance to heat due to age or medication.
• Don’t leave kids in a vehicle. Even cracking a window isn’t enough. Cars get hot really fast. It just is not enough. Children left in cars can die.
  
• If you begin to feel symptoms of having a heat exhaustion or being over-heated, then go inside or to a cooler, well-ventilated area.
• Call 911 or have someone drive to the nearest Emergency Department if you start to feel signs of these conditions.