Sports
Study Examines Heat Related Illness in High School Athletes
By
Aug 19, 2010 - 12:02:28 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - High school athletes are sidelined more than 9,000 days a year because of heat-related illnesses, according to a new CDC analysis.

The analysis, published in this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, looked at 2005-2009 data from the National High School
Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. The data covered nine sports
and estimated national numbers based on a sample of 100 high schools.

Football was the sport associated with the most heat related illnesses
and August was the most common month for them to occur, according to
CDC's analysis. The report also found illnesses were most likely to
occur during practice, not game time, and more likely to occur among
overweight athletes.

The study looked at the incidence of "time-loss heat illness," defined
as illness where a player needed at least one day to recover and missed
time on the game field.

Heat-related illnesses included heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat
stroke-a medical emergency that in the absence of prompt intervention
can lead to loss of consciousness, or more permanent serious medical
conditions such as neurologic, cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal,
hematologic, or muscle dysfunction and subsequently death.

Since 1995, 31 high school football players have died from heat stroke,
according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury
Research.

"One death due to heat-related illness is too many," said Michael
McGeehin, director of CDC's Division of Environmental Hazards and Health
Effects. "Heat related illness is preventable; the more we know about
how and when it happens, the better we can prepare people who maybe most
at risk."

Student athletes, parents, coaches and trainers should be educated about
the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness and about the importance
of proper hydration before, during, and after strenuous activity

Coaches can help by making sure student athletes have time to get used
to hot weather, increasing practice duration and intensity gradually
over a 14-day period.

Athletes should drink plenty of water and sports beverages to replace
water and salt, and take breaks when needed.

For more information, http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ExtremeHeat/ or visit
the MMWR site at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.

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