Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations
Hyperthermia is an internal body temperature increase above 40.5 °C; normally internal body temperature is kept constant through natural homeostatic mechanisms. Heat-related illnesses occur due to exposure to high environmental temperatures in conditions in which an organism is unable to maintain ad...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Biomedicines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/10/2542 |
| _version_ | 1797474986470932480 |
|---|---|
| author | Gabriele Savioli Christian Zanza Yaroslava Longhitano Alba Nardone Angelica Varesi Iride Francesca Ceresa Alice Chiara Manetti Gianpietro Volonnino Aniello Maiese Raffaele La Russa |
| author_facet | Gabriele Savioli Christian Zanza Yaroslava Longhitano Alba Nardone Angelica Varesi Iride Francesca Ceresa Alice Chiara Manetti Gianpietro Volonnino Aniello Maiese Raffaele La Russa |
| author_sort | Gabriele Savioli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hyperthermia is an internal body temperature increase above 40.5 °C; normally internal body temperature is kept constant through natural homeostatic mechanisms. Heat-related illnesses occur due to exposure to high environmental temperatures in conditions in which an organism is unable to maintain adequate homeostasis. This can happen, for example, when the organism is unable to dissipate heat adequately. Heat dissipation occurs through evaporation, conduction, convection, and radiation. Heat disease exhibits a continuum of signs and symptoms ranging from minor to major clinical pictures. Minor clinical pictures include cramps, syncope, edema, tetany, and exhaustion. Major clinical pictures include heatstroke and life-threatening heat stroke and typically are expressed in the presence of an extremely high body temperature. There are also some categories of people at greater risk of developing these diseases, due to exposure in particular geographic areas (e.g., hot humid environments), to unchangeable predisposing conditions (e.g., advanced age, young age (i.e., children), diabetes, skin disease with reduced sweating), to modifiable risk factors (e.g., alcoholism, excessive exercise, infections), to partially modifiable risk factors (obesity), to certain types of professional activity (e.g., athletes, military personnel, and outdoor laborers) or to the effects of drug treatment (e.g., beta-blockers, anticholinergics, diuretics). Heat-related illness is largely preventable. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:38:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3845d672051044a4aea61d667ce2eaa9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9059 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:38:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedicines |
| spelling | doaj.art-3845d672051044a4aea61d667ce2eaa92023-11-23T23:04:47ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592022-10-011010254210.3390/biomedicines10102542Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal ConsiderationsGabriele Savioli0Christian Zanza1Yaroslava Longhitano2Alba Nardone3Angelica Varesi4Iride Francesca Ceresa5Alice Chiara Manetti6Gianpietro Volonnino7Aniello Maiese8Raffaele La Russa9Emergency Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, ItalyFoundation “Ospedale Alba-Bra”, Department of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Michele and Pietro Ferrero Hospital, 12060 Verduno, ItalyFoundation “Ospedale Alba-Bra”, Department of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Michele and Pietro Ferrero Hospital, 12060 Verduno, ItalyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Università degli Studi of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Università degli Studi of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Ospedale Civile of Vigevano, 27029 Vigevano, ItalyDepartment of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, ItalyHyperthermia is an internal body temperature increase above 40.5 °C; normally internal body temperature is kept constant through natural homeostatic mechanisms. Heat-related illnesses occur due to exposure to high environmental temperatures in conditions in which an organism is unable to maintain adequate homeostasis. This can happen, for example, when the organism is unable to dissipate heat adequately. Heat dissipation occurs through evaporation, conduction, convection, and radiation. Heat disease exhibits a continuum of signs and symptoms ranging from minor to major clinical pictures. Minor clinical pictures include cramps, syncope, edema, tetany, and exhaustion. Major clinical pictures include heatstroke and life-threatening heat stroke and typically are expressed in the presence of an extremely high body temperature. There are also some categories of people at greater risk of developing these diseases, due to exposure in particular geographic areas (e.g., hot humid environments), to unchangeable predisposing conditions (e.g., advanced age, young age (i.e., children), diabetes, skin disease with reduced sweating), to modifiable risk factors (e.g., alcoholism, excessive exercise, infections), to partially modifiable risk factors (obesity), to certain types of professional activity (e.g., athletes, military personnel, and outdoor laborers) or to the effects of drug treatment (e.g., beta-blockers, anticholinergics, diuretics). Heat-related illness is largely preventable.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/10/2542environmental heat emergencyheat emergencyheat strokehyperthermia |
| spellingShingle | Gabriele Savioli Christian Zanza Yaroslava Longhitano Alba Nardone Angelica Varesi Iride Francesca Ceresa Alice Chiara Manetti Gianpietro Volonnino Aniello Maiese Raffaele La Russa Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations Biomedicines environmental heat emergency heat emergency heat stroke hyperthermia |
| title | Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations |
| title_full | Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations |
| title_fullStr | Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations |
| title_short | Heat-Related Illness in Emergency and Critical Care: Recommendations for Recognition and Management with Medico-Legal Considerations |
| title_sort | heat related illness in emergency and critical care recommendations for recognition and management with medico legal considerations |
| topic | environmental heat emergency heat emergency heat stroke hyperthermia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/10/2542 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gabrielesavioli heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT christianzanza heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT yaroslavalonghitano heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT albanardone heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT angelicavaresi heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT iridefrancescaceresa heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT alicechiaramanetti heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT gianpietrovolonnino heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT aniellomaiese heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations AT raffaelelarussa heatrelatedillnessinemergencyandcriticalcarerecommendationsforrecognitionandmanagementwithmedicolegalconsiderations |