COB BASRA, Iraq – A Soldier is out on a patrol and starts to get a headache and cramps. She plays them off and chooses to ignore them. A few hours roll by, and she starts feeling a little dizzy and her energy level is down. These things she chose to ignore are all early warning signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Heat injuries are some of the most common, yet treatable injuries.
There are three different types of heat injury. Stage one is dehydration, which is a lack of fluids in your body. From there, heat exhaustion moves in and then, if left untreated, heat stroke.
Heat injuries are very serious and could result in death if not properly treated.
Some factors that contribute to heat injurys are high temperatures, humidity and excessive exertion.
Other factors include caffeinated beverages such as soda and medications such as allergy and cold medicines.
While service member deaths from heat injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan have been declining since 2003 – with 7 deaths total in that time – the number of Soldier's getting this preventable injury is holding steady, according to the United States Division-South Safety Office.
There are many ways to prevent heat injuries.
The first step is to not wait until one feels thirsty to hydrate. In hot temperatures, people sweat more, and thus need to drink more fluids like water or sports drinks to replace the loss of water. Avoiding caffeinated and sugary drinks is also important, as they do not help hydrate very well.
Checking one's urine often is a good indicator of hydration. If urine is clear or slightly yellow, it indicates a reasonable level of hydration.
Wearing sunscreen on exposed skin helps one avoid not only sunburn, but dehydration as well. When skin is burned, it draws fluids from the body in an attempt to moisturize the damaged skin.
If one does start showing signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion, one should take a break in the shade and drink some water. If the symptoms don't go away after a short while, one should seek medical help.
"Drink water, be smart." said Lt. Col. Viki Aguirre, medical officer in charge at the Troop Medical Clinis on Contingency Operating Base Basra, a native of Carlinville, Ill., deployed with the 28th Combat Support Hospital from Fort Bragg, N.C.
"Don't run at high noon when it's 110 degrees outside. Run early in the morning or late in the evening," she added.
As the mercury continues to rise, remember to keep well-hydrated and use common sense. Don't ignore the early warning signs of heat injury.
| Date Taken: |
06.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
06.04.2010 02:44 |
| Story ID: |
50827 |
| Location: |
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: |
380 |
| Downloads: |
334 |
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This work, Beat the heat or it will beat you, by SPC Samantha Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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