HEATSTROKE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Health)

Context: The Union Health Ministry has issued standardised guidelines for confirming heatstroke and heat-related deaths in the country.

Heatstroke

• About: It is the most severe heat-related illness, characterized by the body's inability to regulate its temperature effectively.
• Temperature Rise: During heat stroke, the body's temperature escalates rapidly, often exceeding 106°F within a span of 10 to 15 minutes.
• Mechanism Failure: The sweating mechanism fails during heat stroke, leading to the inability of the body to cool down through perspiration.
• Symptoms: Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech, loss of consciousness (coma), seizures, hot and dry skin, or profuse sweating.

  Guidelines related to Heatstroke

  • About: It is aimed at helping hospitals become aware of the criteria to label a death as heat-related/ heat stroke and bring in evidence-based medical decision-making processes.
  • Prepared by: National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
  • Non-Specific Autopsy Findings: Autopsy findings in heat-related deaths are non-specific and vary based on the duration of survival after exposure.
  • Hyperthermia Diagnosis: It heavily relies on thorough scene investigation and understanding the circumstances of death.
  • Recommendation

  o Recognition of non-specific autopsy findings is emphasized.

  o Collaboration with forensic medicine departments for autopsies is recommended.

  o Relevant samples should be sent to pathology departments for histopathological evaluation.