This hot and muggy weather is sending people to the hospital.
MedStar crews have responded quite a few calls about people experiencing heat related illness over the past several days, and officials say they expect to get more over the weekend.
"So far in the month of June, we've treated 17 patients who had a primary heat related medical condition," says MedStar's Matt Zavadsky. "And that's pretty significant. Last year, it was only about 10. But remember, a lot of folks weren't going out last year, so we expect this number to continue to increase."
Zavadsky says MedStar responded to three heat calls yesterday and five the day before. Of those, four people were taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent the onset of heat-related illness.
"Limit the amount of time you're going to be outdoors," Zavadsky says. "Make sure that you're hydrating, make sure that you're saying in a place where it's cool and there's a little bit of air circulating. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, that always helps."
He says it's also imperative that you check on your loved ones, especially senior citizens who might not be using their air conditioning yet.
Be on the lookout for symptoms of heat-related illness, too. Zavadsky says it comes in phases:
"It starts with heat cramps. that could then move into heat exhaustion where the person is sweating profusely, they might be a little bit fatigued, they feel very tired, they might be pale. Untreated, that could then go into heatstroke, which is where the body has essentially lost the ability to regulate its heat. These people are very dry, they're very warm, they could be red. They have an altered mental state"
Zavadsky says heatstroke is a significant medical emergency and if you're experiencing it, or if someone with you is experiencing it, you need to call 911 immediately.
