Savioli Gabriele, Zanza Christian, Longhitano Yaroslava, Nardone Alba, Varesi Angelica, Ceresa Iride Francesca, Manetti Alice Chiara, Volonnino Gianpietro, Maiese Aniello, La Russa Raffaele
Emergency Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Doctoral Program Experimental Medicine, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Biomedicines. 2022 Oct 12;10(10):2542. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10102542.
Hyperthermia is an internal body temperature increase above 40.5 °C; normally internal body temperature is kept constant through natural homeostatic mechanisms. Heat-related illnesses occur due to exposure to high environmental temperatures in conditions in which an organism is unable to maintain adequate homeostasis. This can happen, for example, when the organism is unable to dissipate heat adequately. Heat dissipation occurs through evaporation, conduction, convection, and radiation. Heat disease exhibits a continuum of signs and symptoms ranging from minor to major clinical pictures. Minor clinical pictures include cramps, syncope, edema, tetany, and exhaustion. Major clinical pictures include heatstroke and life-threatening heat stroke and typically are expressed in the presence of an extremely high body temperature. There are also some categories of people at greater risk of developing these diseases, due to exposure in particular geographic areas (e.g., hot humid environments), to unchangeable predisposing conditions (e.g., advanced age, young age (i.e., children), diabetes, skin disease with reduced sweating), to modifiable risk factors (e.g., alcoholism, excessive exercise, infections), to partially modifiable risk factors (obesity), to certain types of professional activity (e.g., athletes, military personnel, and outdoor laborers) or to the effects of drug treatment (e.g., beta-blockers, anticholinergics, diuretics). Heat-related illness is largely preventable.
体温过高是指体内温度升高至40.5°C以上；正常情况下，体内温度通过自然的稳态机制保持恒定。与热相关的疾病是由于在生物体无法维持足够的体内平衡的条件下暴露于高温环境所致。例如，当生物体无法充分散热时，就可能发生这种情况。散热通过蒸发、传导、对流和辐射进行。热相关疾病表现出一系列从轻微到严重的临床症状。轻微的临床症状包括痉挛、昏厥、水肿、手足搐搦和疲惫。严重的临床症状包括中暑和危及生命的热射病，通常在体温极高时出现。由于在特定地理区域（如炎热潮湿环境）暴露、存在不可改变的易感条件（如高龄、低龄（即儿童）、糖尿病、出汗减少的皮肤病）、可改变的风险因素（如酗酒、过度运动、感染）、部分可改变的风险因素（肥胖）、某些类型的职业活动（如运动员、军人和户外劳动者）或药物治疗的影响（如β受体阻滞剂、抗胆碱能药、利尿剂），也有一些人群患这些疾病的风险更高。与热相关的疾病在很大程度上是可以预防的。
