Thermal Stress

Thermal stress can have a significant impact on normal physiological functioning if precipitous increases in core temperature are not adequately controlled with behavioral and autonomic mechanisms of body cooling. The United States experiences approximately 200 heat stroke deaths per year with the incidence of heat illness expected to rise as the average life span increases, the rate of obesity is accelerated, and global warming is realized. Heat illness affects all segments of society, although the etiological factors predisposing to heat stroke differ between young adults and the elderly population. The majority of heat illnesses are preventable with improved understanding of the basic thermoregulatory mechanisms of the bodys response to heat stress and the development of novel interventiontreatment strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of this syndrome.