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'Look out for each other': Emergency medicine doctor shares signs of heat exhaustion to watch for in adults and kids

DFW hit 100 degrees for the first time Sunday -- and summer is only beginning.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Sunday was the first official 100-degree day in North Texas, but triple-digit heat will likely be with us for at least the next week -- and it’s still June.

“It seems like the heat started really early this year,” said Dr. JoAnna Leuck, the associate dean of curriculum at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

Leuck specializes in emergency medicine and said textbooks say concern starts when heat is over 90 degrees for three days in a row. A week above 100 can be deadly.

“We have just seen an influx of everything from mild dehydration that just needs some IV fluids to really critically ill patients that it’s the heat that really caused their illness,” she said. “We’re worried that this is going to continue.”

She said the key signs to look for are if a person starts to get dizzy, has a headache or feels nauseous. An even more concerning issue is if a person stops sweating. All of them can come on quickly depending on the temperature, age and exertion level.

“That means your body is just not able to keep up with this heat,” Leuck said. “We’ve got to look out for each other. If you’re noticing someone acting confused, they’re having those symptoms, you should call 911. It’s an emergency.”

Because of the record heat, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the operator of the Texas power grid, set a record for energy demand Monday at 80,400 MW, which passed last year’s peak of 80,038 MW set during July. 

With the peak of summer left, temperatures could continue to rise.

Leuck said young athletes out of school are also at risk and should make sure to practice just in the early morning or late night.

“I really worry about our vulnerable populations,” Leuck said. “That’s really elderly, their bodies cannot thermos-regulate the same way or small children, and then again any place that there’s alcohol and heat is a place we’re going to get patients from.”

The tips for prevention are familiar but too often forgotten.  

“Take your breaks, get in some shade, cool off before you go back out,” she said. “Really make sure to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”

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