ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Extreme heat can quickly overwhelm people and lead to heat-related illness, even death.
If you aren't feeling your best in this weather, doctors want you to take note and head inside to air conditioning.
"It's getting to be time where athletics are starting, young children are outside and all those things," said Dr. Marc Sintek a Washington University cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, "I think it's important to recognize that heat-related illnesses are a really big problem this time of year for a lot of young people who are otherwise healthy."
But Sintek said people don't realize the dangers of heat.
"When it becomes very cold in St. Louis or there are ice storms or it is below zero, everyone seems to do a pretty good job of staying at home and not going outside. But it seems like when it is 110 degrees outside and the humidity is 90%, it's just like we will go out and do whatever."
Do not get tempted by sunshine and blue skies. "People need to recognize that they're extremes, but they are both potentially hazardous," Sintek said.
Severe cases of heat-related illness can leave someone with a myriad of problems.
Sintek listed some of the issues: "potentially stroke, it can cause problems with your heart, it can cause problem with your kidneys, it can cause problems with your muscles and their breaking down. There's a whole host of illnesses that can occur from people who get severely ill from heat related illness," he said.
If you are on certain medications, you may benefit from checking in with your doctor during this heat wave. "It's always wise to call your primary care doctor," Sintek said.
"Ask a little bit about, 'Hey, I think I may have had some heat-related illness, I was out a little too long, what do you think we should do?'" Sintek said sometimes doctors will adjust medications or advising holding off on medications for a day or so during extreme heat.
Sintek also said you can't hydrate your way out of heat-related illness. Hydration helps, but can't fix everything.
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