These are dangerous conditions for all of us, especially the very young and the elderly. 13abc's Susan Ross Wells talked to an emergency room doctor who says there are two main concerns: heat exhaustion and heat stroke and everyone's at risk.
Scorching summer days like this can be dangerous and often land people in the emergency room with signs of these heat illnesses. The National Institutes of Health says symptoms of heat exhaustion include sweating, fatigue, muscle cramps, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
"We recommend taking them out of the heat, obviously put them in an air conditioned room or the shade," says ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency Physician Dr. Spencer Johnson. "Take off whatever clothes they have on. If they're outside running around take their shirt off. Try to pour some water on them. Get them cooled off as quickly as possible and get them to medical attention quickly."
Dr. Johnson says elderly people should stay in air conditioning on a day like this, and so should children. If kids are outside he says they need lots of fluids and sunscreen.
How do you know if you're low on fluids?
"One of the ways you can gauge that is by looking at your urine believe it or not. If your urine is dark that typically means you're not drinking enough fluid, and you should be drinking more fluid to make your urine nice and clear," says Dr. Johnson.
Heat stroke is even more serious than heat exhaustion. Dr. Johnson says the person needs to get to the emergency room right away. The National Institutes of Health says symptoms of heat stroke include fever, extreme confusion, lack of sweating, or dry, hot red skin, rapid, shallow breathing and even unconsciousness.
If you're exercising in this heat, Dr. Johnson says you should be drinking fluids before and during your workout.
"Lots of water, not pop, not coffee, not caffeine products," he says. "Water, even some of the Gatorades are okay, but you need to drink lots of it so that you're hydrated enough to do your activity."
Remember, even your car can be a dangerous place on a day like today. Dr. Johnson says this year alone there have been seven unintentional deaths of children who've climbed into cars or were left in cars that overheated.
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