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How to Stay Safe in Extreme Heat

  • Asia Tabb

Aired; July 2nd, 2025.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. 

As temperatures soar and heatwaves become more common in Pennsylvania, health experts are urging people to understand the dangers of extreme heat — and how to protect themselves and others.

Dr. Daniel McLaughlin, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, says the people most at risk during a heatwave are “our elderly patient population, those with chronic illnesses, those that are on kind of multiple medications… and then obviously the very young.”

These groups often have trouble regulating their body temperature or removing themselves from hot environments, putting them at higher risk for heat-related illness.

It’s also important to recognize the difference between heat exhaustion and the far more dangerous heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion typically involves a body temperature under 102°F, dizziness, fatigue, and excessive sweating. “With heat exhaustion, we tend to see sweating — sweating to excess even,” McLaughlin noted.

Heat stroke, however, is a medical emergency. “We look for any involvement of the central nervous system,” he explained. “Confusion, coma-like state, or seizures — those are red flags. Even with good treatment, heatstroke has a mortality rate up to 30%.”

A scary detail: people with heat stroke may stop sweating altogether. “That means their body has exhausted all of its auto regulatory capacity.”

Even healthy individuals can suffer in extreme heat. “Our bodies are designed to regulate heat,” McLaughlin said, “but when the environment overwhelms those mechanisms — especially with high humidity — that’s when the danger kicks in.”

Whether you’re heading to a 4th of July celebration or just running errands, it’s critical to stay hydrated, stay cool, and check on loved ones — especially the elderly or very young — during a heatwave.

As Dr. McLaughlin put it: “If you notice someone around you… getting overheated and then do have that change in mental status, confusion, or seizure — they need to be seen right away in an emergency department.”

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