Itís been a hot summer and doesnít look like itís going to get cooler any time soon. On the evening news, thereís an occasional story about a kid fainting (or worse) from the heat at a sports camp.Heat is nothing to mess with, and the most vulnerable to its effects are the very young and the very old, said Dr. Cory Dietz, who practices family medicine at the UCHealth Primary Care Clinic ñ- Falcon.ìThe young and old have trouble regulating their temperature, and that makes them more susceptible to heat-related illnesses,î he said.Dietz said kids at summer camps, sports camps or tryouts are particularly vulnerable because they ìare usually involved in strenuous activity in hot weather.îAccording to the Centers for Disease Control, heat-related illness, ranked from least to most serious, include heat rash, sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.The CDC breaks it into five categories: heat rash, sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.Heat rashìUsually, itís just a reddish rash, small blisters, mostly found in sweaty areas of the body, like armpits, the groin, crease of the elbows, and such,î Dietz said.Keep it cool and dry and do not apply the old remedy of baby powder -ñ that has its own set of problems these days.SunburnEverybody pretty much knows when they have a sunburn. Itís painful and red. It can range from mild to severe. Mild sunburns can be treated at home, but if blisters develop, an appointment with a medical provider might be warranted.Dietz recommends a moisturizer like aloe or an over-the-counter topical sunburn medication that might help numb the pain for mild sunburn. He also suggests taking Tylenol or ibuprofen for pain. Applying cool cloths can offer some relief, too.For sunburns that blister, ìNever break blisters,î he said. ìThatís the bodyís way of dealing with the burn, and the body knows what it is doing. Itís OK if they break on their own, but donít rush the process.îHeat crampsìThis most often happens to folks who work outdoors,î Dietz said. ìThey come in the form of muscle spasms. The remedy is to drink lot of fluids, like sports drinks, which can help.îHeat exhaustionNow things are getting serious.It starts with muscle cramps, and can include heavy sweating, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, headache and clammy skin, he said.Once identified, ìCool the person down by using cool cloths, getting them into a cool shower or bath, and giving them cool liquids to drink,î Dietz said. ìIf those donít help after an hour, seek medical help.ìItís very serious if you get to that point. If left untreated, it can lead to heat stroke.îHeat strokeSymptoms of heat stroke include a high body temperature ó 103 or higher ó and the victim is no longer sweating, Dietz said. The victim might be confused, disoriented and even passing out.At this point, he said, ìItís a medical emergency. Call 911, or get them to an ER as soon as possible.îMeanwhile, move the victim to a cooler place, use cool cloths, but do not give anything to drink, he emphasized. ìBecause if theyíre passing out, they may not have control (of swallowing) and could choke.îDoctors, especially emergency doctors, see a lot of heat-related illness in the summer.ìIíve seen all of these, in one form or another,î he said.Dietz said all of these afflictions are mostly preventable by using common sense, ordinary precautions and paying attention to the environment and the weather.ìWear your sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids, especially in hot weather.î
