Relative Contribution of Risk Factors Assessed in Patients After Collapse from Exertional Heat Illness
Gabrielle E.W. Giersch, Kari C. Goodwin, Timothy A. Murray, Nisha Charkoudian, David W. DeGrootIntroduction:
Heat-related illnesses can cause significant morbidity and mortality for individuals who perform physical activity in the heat. To date, most risk factor analysis has been performed via retrospective review of medical records. The purpose of the present study was to assess existing risk factors in individuals who had been admitted to the emergency department and diagnosed with a heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion (HE), heat injury (HI), or exertional heat stroke (EHS).
Methods:
We analyzed data from individuals who had collapsed during exercise in the heat and subsequently presented to the emergency department (ED) at Martin Army Community Hospital at Ft. Benning, GA, between 2021 and 2023. In each patient, we evaluated multiple risk factors in three categories: individual (recent or ongoing illness, fitness, body mass index, etc.), environmental, and activity-specific (load carriage, clothing, etc.). Environmental conditions and highest recorded core temperatures were also recorded for each individual after arrival at the ED.
Results:
A total of 141 heat illness cases (
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that individual and activity-specific risk factors are the most frequently occurring in a young, healthy population. Importantly, these are potentially modifiable to mitigate risk.