sunstroke

Sunstroke: Short overview

• What to do during sunstroke? Overshadow those affected, keep upper body / head elevated, give drink, cool head, calm down
• Sunstroke risks: In severe sunstroke, the brain can swell (brain edema), in extreme cases with death.
• When to the doctor? If there is evidence of severe sunstroke or cerebral edema (worsening of the condition, impaired consciousness, seizures, etc.)

Attention!

• Symptoms of a sunstroke usually do not occur until the affected person has long been out of the sun.
• Do not leave children with a sunstroke alone.
• Painkillers such as diclofenac or ibuprofen should be taken only after consultation with a doctor.
• Call the ambulance if the person loses consciousness or has seizures.

Sunstroke: symptoms

If the head or neck gets too much sun, the result can be a sunstroke. The trigger is the long-wave heat rays (infrared rays) in sunlight. They can overheat the head locally, which irritates the meninges and, in severe cases, also affects the brain itself. You can read about Sunstroke Symptoms in the article.

Sunstroke: What to do?

With sunstroke you can do a lot yourself. What helps with a sunstroke depends, among other things, on its severity. Usually you can do something yourself with sun stroke – you just have to know which first aid measures are right and important:

• shadow: Take the victim to a cool, shady place, preferably in a cool, darkened room.
• Store properly: Store the victim on the back, with slightly elevated head and upper body, to relieve head and neck. Put z. B. a pillow under. Bed rest is advisable.
• Cold envelopes: This should cool the head and neck, and possibly also the trunk of the affected person. You can also use ice cubes or “cool packs” or “ice packs”, but never put them directly on the skin, but always with a layer of fabric in between (risk of frostbite!).
• soothe: Especially children with sunstroke should be soothed and not left alone until the unpleasant symptoms subsided.
• Drink a lot: Make sure that the affected person drinks enough liquid (but not ice cold!) If there is no disturbance of consciousness.
• emergency callCall the Rescue Service if the patient loses consciousness, his condition does not improve quickly, or even worsens noticeably.

Painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac should be given as a first aid to sunstroke only after medical consultation. In case of a very strong sunstroke or a heat stroke, these drugs should not be used – immediately alert the emergency physician here!

Sunstroke: home remedies & homeopathy

With light sunstroke can – in addition to the above measures – and some home remedies for the symptoms help. For example, you can make envelopes with cold quark or yoghurt for the person’s head and neck. This not only cools, but can additionally soothe a sun-reddened skin.

If staying in the sun was associated with heavy sweating, the sufferer may have lost many minerals. Then you can mix a cup of cooled tea or a glass of water with a teaspoon of salt and let the person drink. Optionally, an electrolyte solution from the pharmacy may be useful to compensate for the salt loss by heavy sweating (or vomiting).

Some people rely on the support of homeopathy for various complaints. For example, the homeopathic remedies Natrum carbonicum, Belladonna and Glonoinum are helpful in sun-stroke. Scientifically proven, the effect of homeopathy is not yet.

Sunstroke: risks

Typical sun-stroke signs are symptoms such as bright red, hot head, headache, dizziness and fatigue. Also, nausea, vomiting and a slight fever are possible.

In severe sunstroke, irritation and inflammation of the meninges can cause the patient to experience pain in the head and neck as soon as they bend their heads forward. In addition, the neck muscles tense due to pain, which further complicates the flexion (neck stiffness). When meningism Doctors refer to these symptoms.

When sunstroke is not affected, however, is usually the cycle. Therefore, there is only very rare danger to life, such as when a complication in a severe sunstroke a so-called brain edema developed. This is a fluid accumulation in the brain tissue. The brain swells and presses against the wall of the skull, which, however, can not escape. The more pronounced the brain swelling, the higher therefore the pressure inside the skull. This can damage the sensitive brain cells. In addition, the high pressure compresses the finest blood vessels, which suffers from the supply of nerve cells.

In addition to headaches, nausea, vomiting and dizziness, an increase in intracranial pressure can trigger, among other things, the following symptoms:

• Seizures (epileptic seizures)
• Awareness disorders (such as confusion, dizziness and coma)
• decreased breathing until respiratory arrest (respiratory depression)

Sunstroke signs in small children

Infants and young children are particularly prone to sunstroke because of the lighter hair on the head and thinner skull bones. For young children who can not speak yet, the typical signs of sunstroke are usually harder to recognize. Parents should therefore be aware if their offspring behave unusually after a stay in the sun. In infants, for example, these include shrill cries or the refusal to eat. In addition, the parents can feel with their backs whether the child’s head is overheated.

Sunstroke: When to the doctor?

Whether a doctor should be consulted, how severe the sunstroke is and how the condition of the patient develops. Most complaints resolve within hours to a maximum of two days. Here, adults often recover faster than children.

However, if the condition does not improve or even worsens to unconsciousness, you should immediately take the patient to a doctor or call the ambulance!

Sunstroke: Examinations at the doctor

If there is a suspicion of a sunstroke, the doctor will first raise the medical history (anamnesis). This means that he asks the patient or the parents (for affected children) various questions that are important for the diagnosis. Examples:

• How long have you / your child been in the sun?
• Which complaints occurred?
• When exactly did the complaints occur?
• Have you noticed any disturbances of consciousness such as confusion in your child?
• Are any pre-existing diseases known?

Physical examinations

In the next step, the doctor measures body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate of the patient. In a sunstroke, all three parameters are usually unremarkable. The skin temperature on the head or forehead is also informative. It is often elevated in a sunstroke. The scalp can also be visibly reddened.

In addition, the doctor checks if the meninges are irritated. An indication of this is a painfully strained neck muscles that make it difficult or impossible for the patient to lower their chin to the sternum (meningism). Another indication is the so-called Brudziński’s sign, The doctor raises the head of the supine patient vigorously in the direction of the chest. In the case of irritation of the meninges, the patient pulls his legs reflexively in order to reduce the tension on the spinal cord skins.

In addition, the doctor will help with simple questions orientation of the patient to check time and place as well as the Reflexes of the brainstem (e.g., pupillary reflex).

Further investigations are usually not necessary for a sunstroke. Only if the patient’s circulation is unstable or the doctor has a suspicion of increased intracranial pressure, additional examinations make sense.

Investigations of suspected brain edema

When brain pressure is suspected to increase intracranial pressure, imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide clarity.

If there are no signs of increased intracranial pressure in these examinations, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is examined. In the case of a bacterial or viral cause of the symptoms, typical traces are found in the cerebrospinal fluid; in the case of a sunstroke, the findings are normal. A sample of the nerve water is obtained by CSF.

Exclusion of other causes

In his investigations, the doctor must take into account that symptoms that occur in a sunstroke, may also occur in other diseases. These include:

• Heat collapse and heat stroke: These two conditions are similar to a severe sunstroke. However, the distinction is very important, as heat collapse and heat stroke require different treatment.
• Neuroborreliosis and TBE: Both infections are transmitted by ticks. Among other things, they can cause sunstroke-like symptoms such as rash (borreliosis), fever, weakness and discomfort.
• Meningitis (Meningitis): Often, a sunstroke is accompanied by a slight inflammation of the meninges. Then similar symptoms may occur as with a bacterial or viral meningitis. Typically, however, bacterial meningitis is associated with high fever, as opposed to a sunstroke.
• Stroke: It occurs when the blood supply to parts of the brain is acutely interrupted (such as by a clot). Possible symptoms include, for example, severe headaches, drowsiness and dizziness – symptoms that can also occur during a sunstroke.

Sunstroke: treatment by the doctor

The treatment of a sunstroke depends on its severity. As a rule, a sunstroke can be well treated by yourself (bed rest in a cool, darkened room, drinking a lot, etc.). In severe cases (such as impaired consciousness), treatment in the hospital is necessary, possibly even in the intensive care unit.

The doctor may, for example, give the patient infusions to stabilize the circulation. Among other things, certain drugs help with increased intracranial pressure. Even epileptic seizures, which can occur in the context of a severe sunstroke, can be treated with medication.

Prevent sunstroke

Of course, a sunstroke occurs much more frequently in summer when people spend a lot of time outdoors – whether sunbathing, sports, hiking in the mountains or driving a convertible. Particularly endangered are people who have little or no protective hair on their heads. These are mainly infants and toddlers, but also bearers of bald heads. Especially these risk groups should therefore be not too long in the blazing sun stop them. This is especially true during the sunniest time of day, which means: Avoid midday sun, In the English-speaking world there is a simple motto: “Between eleven and three, stay under a tree”, in English: Between 11 o’clock in the morning and 3 o’clock in the afternoon, stay under a tree (ie in the shade).

If a (longer) stay in the sun can not be avoided, you should at least one headgear wear. A sunscreen (for example, in babies or people wearing a beard) is ineffective as a head protection. It only partially blocks the ultraviolet rays, but not the heat rays (infrared rays) that cause the sunstroke. Only a headgear like a cloth, hat or cap helps against this.

Particularly recommended are headgear that can penetrate no sun rays to the skull and thus prevent heating. These are mainly bright headgear: they reflect the sunlight for the most part. So the head below can not warm up as much as under black textiles. This can effectively prevent a sunstroke.