Heat-Related Deaths in America: 1000 Each Year - Essay Sample

Introduction

In America, conditions related to heat account for about 1000 deaths every single year, due to extreme weather events (Atha 1097). Typically, the body of a person maintains a stable temperature regardless of the external environmental temperatures, in the process of thermoregulation. When the temperature rises, the body cools itself through; convection currents which run through the whole body to cool it, conduction through a colder object contracting with the body and taking on the heat, through radiation of heat from the waves of the body and through evaporation, when the body produces sweat. Heat exhaustion is a condition with symptoms of a rapid pulse, heavy sweating due to overheating of the body. It is defined as cardiovascular insufficiency, which is the inability of enough blood to be pumped into the heart (Atha 1099). Causes of heat exhaustion are related to a combination of humidity with high temperatures; it occurs mostly in people with chronic illnesses and to older adults. Another reason is straining in activities. An increase in the rate of physical activity in hot weather increases core body temperature increases the likelihood of getting exertional heatstroke. When heat exhaustion is not treated, it results in heat stroke, which is a condition that can lead to death. When heat stroke fails to be treated, it can cause damages to the kidneys, the muscles, the brain, and the heart.

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Every morning, it is essential to keep cool and hydrated in the scorching sun. During summer, people experience longer days, especially for those who live near the equator due to the temperature rising to almost 100 degrees (Atha 1102). An individual can fall easily into heatstroke and heat exhaustion. The most probable people to be affected are athletes who are always running and exercising, and the people working in farming, landscaping, and in the construction industry, because they stay outside under the sun for extended periods. Emergencies related to heat exhaustion are focused on the identification of symptoms and supportive treatments that result in a reduction of core body temperature, preventing associated complications. Through education on the distinct types of health-related emergencies, incidences of heat exhaustion have been reduced, and those suffering from heatstroke have improved. Heatstroke does not just happen, but a person gets some signs of heat exhaustion as a warning. The muscles of the body start to feel hot and pressed. As the temperature rises further, the air starts feeling like it is coming from a furnace, and a person feels like they cannot get enough no matter how much they breathe. As this happens, an individual exercising should stop immediately since continuing will make the temperature of the body to rise further, affecting the brain (Atha 1106). The head starts hurting, and there is a ringing sound in the ears, dizziness, and difficulty in seeing, which leads to unconsciousness.

It is essential to note that having one illness does not necessarily lead to another, but a person with heat exhaustion can get heat illness the next day. Individuals can prevent heat exhaustion by adapting to exercising in heat regularly and increasing their duration and intensity of workouts in hot conditions. Athletes need to realize the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke so that they can know when to slow down, stop, or modify their activities before arising of a medical emergency. Through adequate hydration during and before an individual exercise, illnesses related to heat, including heat exhaustion, can be prevented. The prevention of heat illnesses requires an appropriate balancing of work to rest, based on the conditions of the environment. When the temperature increases, durations of rest should also be increased (Atha 1107). Some medical conditions, including; Organic mental disorders, diabetes, respiratory diseases, obesity, misuse of alcohol, and chronic diseases that affect sweating and electrolyte balance, also cause heat exhaustion.

Heat conditions affect certain groups of people, who should refer to their doctor for emergency services in case they suspect these conditions. Environmental factors which affect a patient's risk of conducting heat condition include occupational exposure, in the case of outdoor laborer's, attendance of events that lack enough cooling or hydration, fasting as a religious tradition, poor housing which includes overcrowding in one house and excessive exertion (Atha 1108). Physiological, environmental limitations may cause the body to be unable to thermoregulate at high temperatures, which results in heat exhaustion; this results in a cascade of inflammatory processes on a cellular level, which releases toxins and cytoxins, leading to the promotion of endothelial changes, apoptosis, and ischaemia. In extreme weather conditions, this results in shock, hyperthermia, multiple damages of organs, intravascular coagulation, or even death. The critical risk factor of heat exhaustion is age, especially among the elderly, whose physical functioning and thermoregulation decline. Older individuals who are isolated, cannot take care of themselves, and are bound to their beds are more at risk of being affected by heat conditions. Infants also are at risk since they cannot communicate their temperature changes; they have a small body mass and blood volume and an immature thermoregulation system. The World Health Organization advises individuals to take preventive measures instead of adjusting medication; this is because medication might interfere with the ability of the body to cool itself through; blocking the parasympathetic nervous system, inhibiting normal sweating, through changing the balance of electrolytes or renal functions and through altering thermoregulation via behavioural and physiological responses.

Works Cited

Atha, Walter F. "Heat-related illness." Emergency medicine clinics of North America 31.4 (2013): 1097-1108.