On blazing hot days like Monday, when the slightest exertion means a sweat-soaked brow, experts advise drinking water and limiting outdoor activities.
But for the nearly 12,000 athletes competing in the Gay Games, quitting wasn’t much of an option. Monday’s weather proved too high a hurdle, as temperatures that reached 95 degrees caused several Games events to be delayed and sent several athletes to the hospital. Sweltering conditions on the Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park cut short a game of flag football for Randy Claros, 28, a competitor from California. Claros, a bear of a linebacker, felt his calves cramping up and then collapsed with muscle spasms as he made a cut to tackle the quarterback.
“Oh, my God, oh, my God,” Claros cried out as players rushed to his side and called out for Gatorade. Paramedics carried him on a stretcher to an air-conditioned ambulance, where he rested and drank fluids.
Such a scorching-hot day gives a vivid demonstration of how extreme heat disrupts the body’s basic functions. Even athletes in peak condition can succumb to heat illness and dehydration. Sweating during intense competition can draw down the fluid and salts the body needs to maintain a steady temperature and preserve muscle function.
Some vital chemical reactions within cells happen only within a narrow band of temperature, and may stop altogether when a person’s temperature exceeds 104 degrees.
There is only one reliable way to prevent such problems, said Cook County Medical Examiner Edmund Donoghue.
“All these heat-related illnesses are 100 percent preventable by staying in a cool environment,” said Donoghue, who gained firsthand experience during Chicago’s deadly heat wave of 1995.
Lower temperatures over the next few days should offer some relief. Tuesday forecasts call for more manageable highs in the mid-80s.
Heat illnesses come in a variety of forms, though experts say any warning sign is serious.
The first sign of trouble may be heat cramps, which stem from a loss of electrolytes–chemicals that help maintain a normal heartbeat, in addition to their role in muscle function. Without enough of the electrolytes and fluids that make up perspiration, the body loses its main method of combating heat–the lowering of body temperature through the evaporation of sweat.
The next stage often is heat exhaustion, with symptoms such as headache, nausea and dizziness. Experts said it is important to take any such warning signs seriously.
“You don’t want to get to the stage where you need help,” Donoghue said.
Chicago Police Department spokesman Pat Camden said officers know the dangers that a heat wave can present to unprotected or unprepared residents. He said police made 7,000 to 8,000 phone calls to check on senior citizens and make sure their homes weren’t dangerously hot.
“They’re looking for any telltale signs,” Camden said.
He said officers patrolling on foot or on bicycle are making sure to take care of themselves as well.
“They’re advised to take the necessary precautions … not walk up 13 flights of stairs and things like that,” Camden said.
The most dangerous form of heat illness is heatstroke, defined as a body temperature higher than 104 degrees. At such a high temperature, the enzymes that allow the body to use energy stop working, which can lead rapidly to heart or respiratory failure.
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Such immediate problems were the main cause of death in 1995, Donoghue said, though milder forms of heat illness continued to cause fatalities days and even months after the initial heat wave.
On Monday, the heat drove more than 600 people around Chicago to cooling centers run by the city or the Salvation Army. Police and workers with the Chicago Department of Human Services conducted 79 well-being checks. Other cities across the country were grappling with the heat.
In New York, the temperature reached 94, with a heat index–meaning the combined effects of heat and humidity–of 99.
In Hays, Kan., the thermometer topped 100 by the early afternoon. Temperatures there were likely to exceed 105 through the middle of the week. In Louisville, officials supplied free fans and air conditioners to those in immediate need.
The Chicago Fire Department took 28 people Monday to local hospitals with illnesses believed to be heat-related, said spokesman Larry Langford. The number was down, Langford said, from the 46 taken to hospitals Sunday.
The heat was being eyed in the death of a 50-year-old woman, Langford said. Her landlord found her unresponsive in her apartment early Monday and contacted rescue personnel.
The cause of death had yet to be determined by the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Langford said. Around the city, people used a panoply of strategies for beating the heat. Charles Kerl, 19, a doorman at the Hard Rock Hotel, offered a simple remedy for the hot afternoon. “Drink lots of water and wear sunglasses,” he said.
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Heat-related conditions
SUNBURN
Symptoms: Red and painful skin
Treatment: Immersion in cool water, shower using soap to remove oils that may block pores.
HEAT CRAMPS
Symptoms: Muscle pains or asms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs
Treatment: Stop activity, go to cool location, massage muscles, take sips of up to a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes.
HEAT EXHAUSTION
Symptoms: High body temperature (above 103 degrees); hot, red, dry skin (no sweating); rapid pulse; rapid shallow breathing; possible loss of consciousness
Treatment: Seek medical attention; move to cool place; remove clothing; apply a wet sheet or immerse in cool water.
HEATSTROKE (severe)
Symptoms: Heavy sweating (but skin may be cool); fatigue; dizziness or fainting; paleness; nausea; weak pulse; headaches; muscle cramps
Treatment: Lie down in cool place; loosen clothing; sip water (unless nauseous); seek medical attention if vomiting occurs.
Sources: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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