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As summer gets ready to kick off once again, the risk of heat related illnesses begins to pick up again. Every year, nearly six thousand people will be sent to emergency rooms for a range of heat induced issues that include heat exhaustion and dehydration to the more serious, heat stroke which can be fatal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one group is at the highest risk for these conditions. Males, ages fifteen to nineteen are more likely to be stricken with a heat induced illness than any other group for a variety of reasons. Heat stroke and severe dehydration are the leading cause of death of athletes at the high school and college levels in all sports, especially those that take practices outdoors during the summer months.
Of a single year's visits to the emergency room, nearly 73% were male. Thirty six percent of those male visitors fell into the fifteen to nineteen year old age group. The second largest group were ten to fourteen year old boys. Older males, ages twenty to twenty four only made up around ten percent of the total.
Heat related illness can cause a wide range of issues including organ failure and the potential for permanent damage to those organs. It can also lead to brain damage, coma and death. Most people are treated and then released from the hospital without any lingering problems.
While any activity that is done outdoors, especially in midday when the sun is at its highest point can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, certain types of activities are most commonly associated with these issues. Football players make up the largest percentage of those who succumb to the heat with nearly one quarter of the reported ER visits. Walkers and joggers make up the second largest group for a much wider age range. For people who are over the age of forty five, golf is the most common cause of heat illness.
Dehydration is typically the first of the heat illnesses to strike and may lead to further problems. Experts warn that feeling thirst means that dehydration is already in place. It is one of the early symptoms of other health illnesses. Others include nausea, vomiting, headache and sometimes, dizziness.
Before exercising outdoors in the heat, it is important to consider what you are wearing and what you will be doing so that you are not overdoing it. It is also suggested that you start out lightly and then build up a tolerance for heat. Frequent water breaks are also highly recommended.
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