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Heat Stroke Research Paper

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A Review Of Heat Stroke As It Relates To Exercise, Age, And Pre-existing Medical Conditions

Disease Introduction:

Heat Stroke is a heat related illness, physiologically defined as hyperthermia meaning a highly elevated body temperature due to external factors like weather and humidity. The elevated body temperature of heat stroke differs from the conmen fever, where a fever is a physiological response in the normal temperature of the body onset by infections microbiological agents.(Cheuvront, Montain, & Sawka, 2007) The term stroke used to define the heat illness is very misleading because the illness involves no blockage or hemorrhaging of blood flow to the brain. It is not common but in some cases heat stroke can cause damage to the brain if left untreated, but the illness still dose not cutoff or divert blood flow …show more content…

However before the elevated body temperature is noticed fainting may be the first sign of heat stroke especially if the day is above 80’s and humidity is high. The symptoms of heat stroke may develop over the course of several days in people that are at high risk for heat stress such as the elderly, imunocompromised, and people with pre-existing conditions. Symptoms develop more rapidly when exercise or physical activity is associated. This type of heat stroke, is know as exertional heat stroke, this type of heat stroke more commonly affects the young and endurance athletes. Heat Stroke presents with hyperthermia the body temperature greater the 105 degrees Fahrenheit in combinations with disorientations and the lack of sweating even though external temperatures are high.(Harker & Gibson, 1995) Young children suffering from heat stroke tend to have symptoms including seizures not normally seen in adults or elderly. But in untreated cases eventually patients will progress to organ failure, unconsciousness and death.(Royburt, Epstein, Solomon, & Shemer,

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