Heat Stroke and Sunstroke: Secondary Diseases

The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be contributed to by heat illness/heat stroke or sunstroke:

Blood, blood-forming organs – Immune system (D50-D90).

  • Disseminated intravascular coagulation; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC syndrome, for short; consumption coagulopathy) – Coagulopathy (clotting disorder) resulting from intravascular activation of blood clotting.

Cardiovascular System (I00-I99).

  • Cardiovascular failure [complication of: Heat collapse, hydroprive heat exhaustion (due to lack of water), saloprive heat exhaustion (due to lack of salt), and heat stroke]

Psyche – Nervous System (F00-F99; G00-G99).

  • Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain as a result of cerebral volume and pressure increase) [complication of: sunstroke].
  • Seizure

Symptoms and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings not elsewhere classified (R00-R99).

  • Convulsions and spasms of the musculature.
  • Multi-organ failure (MODS, Multi organ dysfunction syndrome; MOF: Multi organ failure) – simultaneous or sequential failure or severe functional impairment of various vital organ systems of the body [complication in: heat stroke].
  • Nausea (nausea)
  • Vertigo (dizziness)
  • Somnolence – drowsiness with an abnormal sleepiness; it characterizes the mildest form of reduction of consciousness.
  • Sopor (precoma) – severe clouding of consciousness.
  • Syncope – brief loss of consciousness (“transient loss of consciousness”, TLoC) caused by reduced perfusion of the brain and usually accompanied by loss of muscle tone.
  • Coma – severe deep unconsciousness characterized by the absence of response to address.