Take the heat ... seriously.With summer blazing ahead and temperatures shooting up throughout the country, the guidelines of a new consensus statement on heat-related illnesses from the Inter-Association Task Force on Exertional Heat Illnesses couldn't be more timely. Every year, more than 300 people die of heat-related illnesses, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. . Many others require medical attention owing to exertional heat illnesses such as dehydration, exertional heat stroke, heat exhaustion heat exhaustion, condition caused by overexposure to sunlight or another heat source and resulting in dehydration and salt depletion, also known as heat prostration. The symptoms are severe headaches, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and sometimes unconsciousness. , heat cramps heat cramps pl.n. Painful muscle spasms following hard work in intense heat, caused by loss of salt and water from profuse sweating. heat stress disease and hyponatremia Hyponatremia Definition The normal concentration of sodium in the blood plasma is 136-145 mM. Hyponatremia occurs when sodium falls below 130 mM. Plasma sodium levels of 125 mM or less are dangerous and can result in seizures and coma. . "The dangers associated with exercise in the heat are well documented, but proper prevention, recognition and treatment strategies have not been adequately disseminated and implemented," says Douglas Casa, Ph.D., ATC ATC Air Traffic Control ATC Average Total Cost ATC Certified Athletic Trainer ATC At the Center (Hartford, Maine retreat center) ATC Applied Technology Council ATC All Things Considered , FACSM FACSM Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. FACSM abbr. Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine , who chaired the expert panel. "The good news is that many cases of exertional heat illness are preventable, and others can be treated." The panel's goal was straightforward: to create a unified statement to address the basic issues related to the prevention, recognition and treatment of heat-related illnesses, and to offer guidelines that they believe will increase widespread safety standards awareness; reduce risks for both professional and recreational athletes; and recommend effective treatments. The guidelines call for providing medical services onsite during hot weather and requiring pre-participation physical examinations for recreation participants. The exams, the task force recommends, should include questions regarding fluid intake, weight changes during activity, medication and supplement use, and a history of cramping/heat illnesses. In addition, the guidelines call for giving medical staffs the authority to alter work/rest ratios, practice schedules, amounts of equipment and withdraw individuals from participation in sports, on the basis of heat conditions or athletes' medical conditions. To read the consensus statement, go to www.nata.org. |
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