Heat exhaustion in children and adults: Here are the warning signs
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Extreme heat warnings are posted for central and southern Minnesota Monday with temperatures forecast in the 90s and heat index values climbing as high as 110 degrees.
Physicians across the state expect to see an increase in patients to hospital emergency rooms as people struggle to function in the intense heat.
People caring for children should move them out of the heat if they see signs of confusion, headaches and nausea, Dr. Nita Gupta a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis, told MPR News. In extreme cases, kids may start vomiting or get muscle spasms.
Outside programs like summer camp should not have kids in the sun for more than 20 minutes on Monday, she added.
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Kids “should always have a water bottle with some electrolytes with them, or a salty snack with them at all times,” she said. Looser, light-colored garments that can help with sun protection and sweat are also recommended.
For seniors, Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a family physician with the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said mild symptoms can look like increased sweating, muscle cramps, fatigue and excessive thirst. In extreme cases there can be dizziness, headaches and nausea.
At that point, it’s time to act, he said. “Seek cool areas, drink lots of fluids. If it's not intervened rapidly it can become a medical emergency, what we call as heat stroke.”
Bracamonte said water and shade is the best combination for seniors.
To hear more advice from each physician, click the players above.
