Sunstroke – how to prevent a sunburn

Sunstroke: symptoms and the appropriate treatment

  • Toddlers quickly get sunburned in the sun, as their skullcap is still very thin during the first years of life. In addition, they have little hair as natural protection.
  • Children and babies can not yet regulate the heat and fluid balance of their body and are therefore at great risk.
  • In severe cases, your child may experience a heat stroke that can be life-threatening. As soon as you suspect that your child or baby has suffered from a sunstroke, you should always visit a doctor to check it.

In summer, sun and sea attract. No cloud prevents the sun’s rays from bouncing on the head and neck of your child. When children play, they quickly forget about the time and too much sun exposure. But how do you recognize as a parent a sunstroke and when do you have to go with your offspring to the doctor?

We have compiled the symptoms of a sunstroke for you in the following article. It will also tell you which first aid measures you can take and how to protect your child from sunstroke.

1. Symptoms such as headache and nausea are signs of a sunstroke

Children are sometimes more sensitive to sunlight than adults.

A sunstroke is triggered by long-lasting intense sunlight on the head. The long-wave sun rays irritate the meninges, causing the blood vessels to swell. Those affected often respond to overheating with headaches, nausea and a hot head However, if a sunstroke is recognized in time, it can be treated well.

Common symptoms of sunburn include:

  • a headache
  • Nausea, dizziness or vomiting
  • elevated temperature, fever
  • unrest
  • stiff neck
  • dizziness

Feel the skin of your child after a bath day hot on? Does your child behave restlessly or severely?? In that case, it seems likely that it has suffered a sunstroke. Only in rare cases, consciousness and coordination disorders occur.

Differences are the consequences of massive solar radiation in Sunstroke, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The most severe form is heat stroke, which requires immediate medical attention. A heat stroke can be recognized in particular by the enormously high fever of about 40 degrees Celsius.

Particularly common is a sunstroke in infants (up to 4 years), fair-skinned people, seniors or bald people.

1.1. Children usually only react to the sunshine hours later

How does a sunstroke arise??

Blood vessels and meninges swell due to the heat of sunlight and can ignite.

Often, the symptoms of a sunstroke do not appear until hours after staying in the sun, in many cases even at night. If your child gets a fever in the evening, vomits or loses consciousness, you should respond immediately and provide first aid.

Children are more prone to sunstroke, as they are in Relative to volume, a larger skin surface and a larger head than adults to have. In addition, the scalp is very thin in toddlers and is protected only by little hair.

1.2. Sunstroke on the baby: signs are difficult to recognize

In the car, the air heats up very quickly in summer.

The younger the child is, the more dangerous the consequences of a sunstroke can be. Especially babies up to the age of 1 year can not formulate their malaise. Drowsiness and unconsciousness can be misinterpreted by parents as sleep.

However, they also suffer Violent headache, which is often caused by high-pitched, sustained screaming and refusal to drink manifests. If it breaks or feels hotter than usual, it could be a sunstroke.

Caution: Never leave your baby alone in the car in the summer, even if you only need to get something for a short while. The temperature in the car heats up very quickly.

A pram parked in the sun is the most common cause of sun-stroke in a baby. Because babies and toddlers (up to 3 years old) can not yet regulate their heat balance like an adult through sweating, They should stay in the shade while playing and drink a lot.

2. In case of vomiting or unconsciousness, the emergency doctor must be called

If your baby suffers from a sunstroke, always consult your family doctor after first aid measures. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, there may already be an irritation of the meninges, which must be treated medically.

If your child has a high fever and complains of nausea, a treatment by an emergency doctor makes sense. The same applies if it hallucinates briefly or confusion “speaks. An untreated heat stroke can cause cerebral edema and brain damage.

symptoms treatment
Hot, red head, light-headedness, inner restlessness, exhaustion First aid measures, home remedies, later visit to the doctor
Nausea, vomiting, fever, dizziness, stiff neck Visit the family doctor
severe nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, high fever, tinnitus emergency department

3. First aid is indispensable for a sunstroke

Does your child have a sunstroke?, put it immediately in the shade. Place the upper body of your sprout in a raised position and cool the neck with a cold washcloth or cooling pack.

Tip:Calm down your child and playfully distract it with a story.

First aid is indispensable in the case of a sunstroke.

The child should drink only if he has not been hallucinated, passed out, or is suffering from nausea. If the condition of the child deteriorates or has not improved after twenty minutes, call an ambulance or go to the emergency room.

For very mild symptoms, treatment with home remedies is sufficient. Bring your offspring out of the blazing sun and give it to him isotonic drink. Make sure that the drink is not too cold, as extreme cold is another burden on the weakened body.

The affected person should lie down. Here, the upper body can be slightly elevated. At best, bring the person into one cool, dark room, while waiting for the symptoms to improve or, in severe cases, for the ambulance.

You can also have one cold neck wrap with cottage cheese or yogurt to lower body temperature. If the person faints, you should put them in a stable side position , while you wait for a doctor. More information on the stable side position can be found on the website of the German Red Cross (DRK).

Correct VS Wrong First Aid Measures

  • Stay in a cool, dark room
  • Cold neck envelope
  • Isotonic drinks
  • horizontal position (upper body slightly raised)
  • extremely cold drinks
  • Beverages of nausea, hallucinations and fainting
  • Stay in the sun
  • lack of control by a doctor

4. The doctor prevents meningitis by examining it

If it is a light sunstroke, after the symptoms improve quickly, you can get help with one Home remedies or by the allocation of globules consider. But the treatment with the help of homeopathic remedies should always be clarified with a specialist before.

A headgear protects the still thin skullcap of the child in summer.

Are the Symptoms are more severe or show disturbances of consciousness with your child, drive immediately to the emergency room of a hospital. If not known, try to find out how long your child has been in the sun, as this information is extremely helpful to the doctor.

The physician first performs an anamnesis interview, during which he the Your child’s body temperature measures and checks his or her responsiveness. Both reflexes and the pupil width are recorded. Blood pressure and heart rate are also examined to rule out serious consequences such as meningitis (meningitis).

5. Prevent Sunstroke: Avoid the midday sun!

So that it does not even come to a sunstroke or a heat stroke, children up to 3 years should always have one Wear a wide-brimmed hat for the duration of your stay in the blazing sun. Older children can visit you on a regular basis wet your head. It is also important that they drink enough. As a rule of thumb: at least half a liter more than usual.

Tip: Sunscreen only protects against sunburn, but not against a sunstroke.

Take a parasol with you, if you are in the sun with your child for a long time. Generally that should Games are avoided in the midday heat from 11am to 3pm. Even if children bathe and play in the water, a shady area should often be visited.

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Christina Cherry
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