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Community Corner

DeKalb Medical Cautions About Heat-Related Illness

How to detect and prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Living in the south, we’re familiar with the heat. But it's easy to overlook how damaging its affects can be, especially to young children and the elderly.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in your daily activities and not realize that you could be putting yourself at risk for a heat-related illness. Those illnesses include: dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Dr. Sofia Khan, from DeKalb Medical Center, says it’s important to be aware and recognize symptoms. “Recognition can prevent progression to the next level,” she says.

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Signs of dehydration are fatigue, weakness, muscle cramping, irritability, thirst and headache.  Signs of heat exhaustion include those same symptoms plus a rapid heartbeat, heavy sweating, nausea, cool or moist skin and concentrated urine.  Signs of heat stroke include very warm or hot skin, altered mental status, elevated body temperature, fainting or passing out. 

If someone starts to experience these symptoms, get the person to a cool environment, give them fluids and seek medical attention.

“Prevention is water, water, and water,” says Dr. Khan. “For children it’s important for them to hydrate before and after any outdoor activity. Parents do a great job of hydrating kids after activities, it’s before the activity that they forget.”

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Khan says throughout physical activities water breaks should be taken at regular intervals. 

For the elderly, who take medication, it can worsen dehydration so it’s crucial to drink water. Keeping water nearby is helpful, especially for people who aren’t as mobile.

Some Other Prevention Tips:

- Drink before you are thirsty, by the time you are thirsty, you are already on the pathway to dehydration.
-Wear loose fitting, light weight and light colored clothes.
-Avoid caffeine infused drinks as they are diuretics and cause water loss.
-Increase fruits and vegetables as they are a great source of water.

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