Heatstroke, also known as sunstroke, is a heat illness brought on by excessive body temperature. It is usually caused by prolonged exposure to hot conditions and/or physical exertion. This disease can be fatal, causing seizures, kidney failure, and the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle. Multi-organ dysfunction can occur suddenly or gradually. Around six hundred deaths a year in the United States alone can be attributed to this disease, with rates being higher in equatorial countries where access to cooling conditions and clean water is often more limited. As the world’s temperature gradually increases, heatstroke also becomes more common. Body temperature exceeding 104.0 °F (40.0 °C) is the main symptom.
