Beat the heat

As the sun beams down on the gravel surface that will soon become a paved parking lot, Diego Dagoberto heads for the shade.

"Try to cool off while you can," Dagoberto said, as he pulled a sports drink from his lunch bucket.

He was taking a break from his brick-laying job in Russellville, but finding a nice, cool place during a hot Alabama summer is no easy task.

Despite a slight cool-down in temperatures this week, health experts say it is important to monitor your body's reactions when working outdoors in the summer.

Alabama's summer climate, with its extreme temperatures and high humidity, can lead to heat-related illness and even death.

"When our temperatures go way high and the humidity goes up, that puts people who are outdoors for long periods of time at risk," said Dr. Jack Hataway, director of the Chronic Disease Prevention Office with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Heat-related illnesses occur when the body's temperature control system is overloaded.

Although extreme temperatures can cause cramps and discomfort, heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. The body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down.

"The death rate from heat-stroke victims is very high," Hataway said. "The last numbers I saw had the mortality rate at about 50 percent."

During a heat stroke, a person's body temperature may rise to 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher within 10 to 15 minutes.

"It's lethal," Hataway said.

There is little time to waste when treating someone who has suffered heat stroke.

Hataway said it's important to immediately take steps to cool the victim. He suggests getting the person to a shady area, put them in a tub of cool water, or under a cold shower, spray with cool water from a garden hose, splash with cool water, or, if the humidity is low, place in a cool, wet sheet and fan vigorously.

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are the elderly, persons with high blood pressure, and those working or exercising in a hot environment.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting and fainting.

The skin may be cool and moist. The pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow. Untreated heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke, so seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than one hour.

Although anyone at any age can suffer heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. People 65 or older are particularly susceptible.

The risk for heat-related illness and death may increase among people using psychotropics, medications for Parkinson's disease, tranquilizers and diuretics.

Debra Strong, a University of Alabama-Birmingham dietician, said drinking water is crucial during the summer.

"Sweating is the body's way to maintain a normal temperature," she said. "You need plenty of fluids to produce perspiration."

Fluid intake is especially important during exercise.

"You should drink about 16 ounces two hours prior to exercising, eight ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise and at least another 16 ounces after you finish," she said.

Strong also said the clothes a person wears can make a difference in fighting the heat.

"Wear light colors and light-weight clothing. Wear a hat, and remember that 100 percent cotton clothing tends to hold sweat, making it more difficult for your body to cool down," she said.

Hataway said there is no direct relationship to society's dependence on air conditioning today and the number of heat-related deaths.

"I don't think it makes it more aggravating, but certainly people are more used to cooler climates," he said.

Health department records indicate that six Alabamians died in 2006 as the result of heat-related illnesses. The number of deaths in the state has ranged from one to 10 in the past decade.

Al Stone, a research analyst at the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, said the number of recorded heat-related deaths has not changed much over time, but added that there could be some discrepancies in the numbers.

"A lot of times, a person may get too hot and have a heart attack and the medical records list the cause of death as a heart attack instead of a heat-related death," Stone said. "The same thing can happen with strokes and it not be listed as heat stroke."

While there are many tips for avoiding heat-related illnesses, the most important is to avoid being outside between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the summer, Hataway said.

"If people will use a small amount of precaution when they go outdoors during the summer, they will stay healthy and safe," Hataway said.

Jonathan Willis can be reached at 332-0140 or jonathan.willis@timesdaily.com.