Heat Illnesses

 Dehydration

Exertional Hyponatremia

Exposure to abnormal or prolonged amounts of heat and humidity without relief or adequate fluid intake can cause various types of heat-related illness.

When athletes do not replenish lost fluids, they become dehydrated.

When an athlete’s blood sodium levels decrease, either due to overhydration or inadequate sodium intake, or both, medical complications can result in cerebral and/or pulmonary edema. This tends to occur during warm/hot weather activities. Hyponatremia may be completely avoided if fluid consumption during activity does not exceed fluid losses

Muscle Cramps

Heat Exhaustion

Heat Stroke

Muscle cramps are not well understood. These cramps are often present in athletes who perform strenuous exercise in the heat.  Conversely, cramps also occur in the absence of warm or hot conditions.

Heat exhaustion is a moderate illness characterized by the inability to sustain adequate cardiac output, resulting from strenuous physical exercise and environmental heat stress.

A severe illness characterized by central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities and potentially tissue damage resulting from elevated body temperatures induced by strenuous physical exercise and increased environmental heat stress.