You often only notice it when it’s already too late: After a long summer’s day, your head gets hot and red, it hurts, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. A clear case of sunstroke. If you stay in the direct sun for a long time without protecting your head from the radiation, you risk irritating the meninges. This creates a slight inflammation, which also affects the brain and has various consequences.
Sunstroke is not immediately noticeable. The symptoms often come when you have already left the direct sun. It is all the more difficult to assign the first signs of the disease directly – slight headaches and dizziness, for example, could also depend on the form on the day. The most common consequences of sunstroke:
If the sunstroke is particularly severe, disturbances of consciousness (confusion to unconsciousness) can also occur.
The German Red Cross (DRK) provides information on the most important first aid measures for sunstroke. First of all, the affected person should leave the direct sun and go to a cool place. Bring your upper body into a slightly elevated position. You can cool your head and neck with wet towels. If you use cool packs, make sure that there is always a layer of fabric between the cooling element and the skin. In the case of symptoms without nausea, the patient should drink enough fluids.
Repeatedly check consciousness, breathing and vital signs. Don’t be afraid to call 911 if the victim loses consciousness or the symptoms are particularly severe.
Whenever you make an emergency call, keep the five W’s in mind:
Sunstroke is relatively easy to avoid. Above all, the DRK recommends avoiding long stays in the sun, especially in the midday heat. The second important measure: a hat. This not only protects the top of the skull best, but also the neck. Small children and infants should generally not be in the sun without head protection.
This article was written by Franziska Lehnert, science journalist
The original of this post “Sunstroke can be dangerous: you should do this in an emergency” comes from FOCUS doctor search.
