A rare case of heat stroke highlights the hidden dangers of saunas

A trip to the sauna can be incredibly relaxing – just make sure you stay hydrated. In a new report this week, doctors warn of a potential danger of not following this advice: the rare but life-threatening heat stroke.

Doctors in England have released details of an unusual accident involving a woman in her 70s who was found unconscious from heatstroke in the sauna of a local gym. Although the woman stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks, she eventually recovered. But the cautionary tale highlights the importance of regular hydration on sauna days.

According to the newspaper, has been published on tuesday BMJ Case Reportsthe woman was a sauna enthusiast and had never had any previous problems. But on that fateful day, she was found unconscious 45 minutes after doing pull-ups in the sauna of a local gym. He was rushed to the emergency room with a dangerously high body temperature, where he was quickly cooled with wet towels and ventilators, as well as given intravenous fluids and blood products.

When the woman arrived at the hospital, she soon had a seizure, and tests showed she had also suffered a small heart attack, with damage to her kidneys and other organs. But two hours after his temperature stabilized, he started to regain consciousness. By the third day, he was no longer confused and drowsy and improved enough to be discharged 12 days after his initial hospitalization. A month after his heatstroke, he was fully recovered except for mild fatigue and liver damage.

The woman had a history of type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism, but she exercised regularly and avoided smoking and heavy drinking. So her doctors say her risk of heat stroke from the hot weather was not particularly high. Although rare, saunas have been known to cause heat stroke in low-risk individuals.

“Sauna use is a rare but potentially important cause of classic heatstroke in patients with several risk factors for the disease,” the doctors said.

How rare is it? Doctors reviewed the medical literature and found nine other cases of heat stroke linked to saunas alone. In this case, the patient himself believes that it is the lack of hydration that seals his fate.

“As a regular sauna user, I’ve never had a problem and I think I’m not drinking enough water,” the woman wrote in an accompanying perspective.

The most important aspect of treating heat stroke is time, as doctors say that rapidly cooling a person for thirty minutes is highly effective in reducing organ damage from the condition. So, in addition to reminding people to stay hydrated, the woman hopes that businesses that own saunas will do their best to take care of their customers in a timely manner.

“My experience highlighted the dangers of saunas and how important it is to be fully hydrated when entering a sauna and to have them regularly checked by staff,” he said.

He added: “On top of that, given what I’ve been through, I know I’m very lucky and I can’t thank the medical staff enough.”