Exposure injury: Examining heat- and cold-related illnesses and injuries

Heat- and cold-related illnesses represent a broad spectrum of preventable common conditions affecting diverse populations every year. Clinicians treating patients near areas of outdoor recreation and nursing homes or who potentially see critical pediatric, indigent, or intoxicated patients can benefit from a better understanding of exposure injuries. Heat-related illnesses include the continuum of heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and the potentially deadly heat stroke. Cold-related illnesses encompass a broad array of conditions ranging from soft tissue injuries like pernio, trench foot, and frostnip to the more severe effects of frostbite and hypothermia. The majority of patients with severe environmental exposure would usually present to an emergency or urgent care center; however, milder acute cases and more subtle chronic presentations would generally first be seen by a primary care physician. With any temperature-related illness, the family physician's role should most importantly include identification of at-risk populations and promotion of proper preventative strategies allowing early symptom recognition and rapid treatment.