Now is the time to prepare for the high temperatures that kill hundreds of people every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns. The CDC is urging Americans to take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated and to keep informed.

Robin Ikeda, MD, MPH, acting director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said “No one should die from a heat wave, but every year on average, extreme heat causes 658 deaths in the United States – more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined. Taking common sense steps in extreme temperatures can prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths.”

When the weather gets extremely hot, body temperatures can rise, causing brain and organ damage, and even death. When the human body cannot compensate and cool itself properly, it is more susceptible to heat-related illness.

The following groups of people are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses and should be extra careful this summer:

  • People who work/exercise outdoors
  • Homeless people
  • Children
  • People with chronic medical conditions
  • The elderly

According to a study released this week in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 7,233 heat-related deaths occurred in America during the period 1999-2009.

Heat-related deaths – United States, 1999-2009 (source: CDC)
Heat-Related Deaths

Over a 2-week period in four US states in 2012, thirty-two people died from excessive heat exposure – state health officials said this was four times higher than one would expect for that 2-week period from 1999 to 2009.

Sixty-nine percent of deaths from heat exposure occur at home, the CDC informs – in 91% of these homes there is no air-conditioning. Most of the victims live alone or are unmarried; 72% of them are male.

Out of every 10 heat-related deaths in the USA, 4 occur in just three states – Texas, Arizona and California. Heat related deaths are more common among seniors and males, according to CDC’s Environmental Tracking Network from 1999 to 2009.

The CDC is urging local governments to engage in advanced planning and preparation and to increase public awareness about the dangers of excessive heat exposure.

Access to air conditioning, cooling stations and other public locations should be made available to the local population when temperatures are extremely high for several consecutive days.

Ethel Taylor, DVM, MPH, the study’s lead author, said:

“Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable. Taking steps to stay cool, hydrated and informed in extreme temperatures can prevent serious health effects like heat exhaustion and heat stroke.”

The CDC has launched a new website to prepare for extreme heat.

Below are some tips on doing exercise during the summer months:
(Source: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center)

  • Talk to your doctor before you start or change an exercise program
  • If it gets very hot, do your exercise indoors. Find somewhere with air-conditioning. Extreme heat can alter your body’s circulation, raise your heartbeat and make it harder to breathe properly
  • Even in the summer, we still need to warm up. Take time to work on breathing and posture
  • Drink plenty of water throughout your workout routine – do not wait until you feel thirsty. Replenish your electrolytes as well, especially if you are aged over 75, are prone to lightheadedness (from low blood pressure), or do endurance sports
  • Try to avoid major changes to your body temperature. After your exercise do not take a very cold or very hot shower, and avoid the sauna – extreme changes in body temperature increase the workload on your heart
  • The coolest times of day during the hottest weeks of the summer are either very early in the morning or late in the afternoon – these are the best times for exercising
  • Avoid sunburn by applying sunscreen
  • Start your workout at a slow rhythm and pace yourself throughout. Make sure you have some breaks

According to researchers from University College London, too many summer deaths are wrongly blamed on pollution, when the culprit is heat. They reported that 27,000 people died in Europe in 2003 because of heat.

Written by Christian Nordqvist