Case report of a man who suffered heatstroke in a sauna and fell unconscious due to multiple organ failure
Saunas have a relaxing effect, but if not used properly, they can be hard on the body. A medical journal has reported a case of a patient who suffered heatstroke in a gym sauna and was rushed to the hospital with severe heatstroke accompanied by multiple organ failure. Doctors warn that spending long periods in a sauna without adequate hydration may increase the risk of heatstroke.
Basking too long in a sauna without adequate hydration may risk heat stroke, doctors warn
Sauna users urged to hydrate to avoid heat stroke - NewsBreak
https://www.newsbreak.com/the-independent-517119/3747720121678-sauna-users-urged-to-hydrate-to-avoid-heat-stroke
The case reported in the medical journal British Medical Journal is of a British woman in her early 70s who was healthy and fit enough to regularly go to the gym. On the day of her death, she had been stretching for about 45 minutes in the sauna at a nearby gym, but was later found unconscious and taken to hospital.
The woman's core temperature was 42°C, significantly higher than her normal body temperature of 36.4°C, her heart rate was extremely rapid, her blood pressure was very low, and she suffered a seizure after arriving at the emergency room.
When the core body temperature exceeds 40 degrees, heat stroke develops, which can lead to impaired brain function. In particular, heat stroke that occurs when exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time, such as in a sauna, is called 'non-exercise heat stroke.'
Although the woman had previously been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism, she was not a smoker or heavy drinker and went to the gym regularly, so had few risk factors, doctors noted.
Blood tests showed the woman had kidney and liver failure, signs of a mild heart attack and symptoms of
Doctors treating her at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital used wet towels and fans to cool the woman's body and gave her intravenous fluids and blood products to stabilise her condition.
The woman regained consciousness within two hours of her body temperature returning to normal, but she experienced confusion and drowsiness for two days. By the third day, the symptoms had subsided, and she did not experience another seizure during her 12-day hospital stay.
The woman made an almost full recovery after 26 days, but was left with mild fatigue and mild liver dysfunction.
To the report's authors' knowledge, there have been only nine other reported cases of sauna heatstroke, three of which were fatal.
'The prognosis of heatstroke depends on patient factors, particularly age. The typical mortality rate for heatstroke in older adults is over 50%, with mortality increasing with the addition of additional organ dysfunction,' the authors wrote in their case report.
The woman suffered heatstroke while in a sauna, but in recent years there have been warnings that extreme weather and heat waves caused by climate change mean the risk of heatstroke can occur anywhere.
Research results show that one in three deaths from heat stroke is caused by 'global warming' - GIGAZINE
The authors emphasized that 'the number of deaths from heatstroke increases sharply during heatwaves, as observed in several large international data sets. As global temperatures continue to rise, the number of deaths from heatstroke is expected to increase. In heatstroke, the outcome depends on how quickly the patient can be cooled, as the duration of elevated core temperature correlates with the degree of cellular damage.'
The woman in question also commented, 'My experience has taught me the dangers of saunas and how important it is to make sure you are well hydrated before using a sauna and to have regular checks by staff. I use saunas regularly and have never had any problems before, but looking back I don't think I was drinking enough water.'
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