MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – The recent heat wave sweeping the state has led to the hospitalization of a few Muskegon-area residents, Mercy Health Muskegon officials reported on Tuesday.
Joan Kessler, spokeswoman for Mercy Health Muskegon, said the Hackley Campus had as many as three hospitalizations on Monday and one on Tuesday morning. No hospitalizations had been reported at the Mercy Campus, she said.
The hospital system’s Grand Rapids campus, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s had six heat-related hospitalizations, Kessler said.
Heat-induced illnesses include dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, the most severe form of conditions, which can escalate once temperatures reach the high 80s and above.
National Weather Service forecasters expect high temperatures to be in the lower to mid-90s Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18. The agency has issued a heat advisory and on Tuesday afternoon it indicated that the alert would remain active until midnight on Thursday.
The heat indices could reach around 100 degrees mainly between 1 p.m. on 6 p.m. on each day and would drop only in the mid 70s Wednesday morning and Thursday morning.
Tim Lipan, executive director for the American Red Cross’s Lakeshore and West Shore chapter, said the agency has not received any calls for assistance as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re prepared to open a cooling shelter if necessary. However, our county emergency management would help make that decision,” Lipan said.
Dr. Michael Olgren, medical director of emergency services at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Campus, said heat-related illnesses can affect people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and those taking medications that can cause dehydration, like some blood pressure drugs.
“We caution people with medical conditions to stay aware of how the heat may affect them, and encourage them to seek care if they begin to not feel well,” Olgren said.
Health officials at the Muskegon Department of Community Health urge residents to have a plan to reduce their risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for elderly and for children 4 years and under. Normally, the human body tries to maintain a temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, once the body temperature rises rapidly, a person faces the risk of vital organ damage. Conditions that can increase risk factors of illness include obesity, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.
Dehydration makes up the first stage of heat-related illness, which occurs when sweating does not replace lost body fluids. Symptoms include dry mouth, thirst, headache, dizziness, cramps, excessive fatigue and irritability.
The next, more serious stage of heat-related illness encompasses heat exhaustion. This condition occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a warm, humid place where body fluid loss occurs greatly from sweating. This fluid loss can cause shock as blood flow to vital organs decline.
Heat stroke, also called sunstroke, is the most severe stage of heat-related illness and can cause death.
Symptoms include vomiting, decreased alertness level or complete loss of consciousness, red, hot, and dry skin with a rapid, weak pulse and a high body temperature sometimes as high as 105 degrees.