LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The heat is on in Southern Nevada, and one emergency room doctor said people should be extra vigilant as the early-summer heat wave rages on.
"If you notice that being in the heat, or in direct sunlight, is getting to you, remove yourself from that," said Dr. Ketan Patel, medical director of the emergency department at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. "Do it early because, as that cascade starts to happen, you can get to the extremes of heat illness very rapidly."
According to the Associated Press nearly 90 million people in the United States are under heat alerts this week. In Las Vegas, weather forecasters are predicting the city's record temperature of 117 could be met in the days after the Fourth of July.
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Patel said it's important to differentiate between heat exposure and the later, and more serious, levels of heat-related illness.
"Heat exposure can make you feel just tired and rundown," Patel said. "When you're talking about heat stroke, you're looking at more neurological manifestations. People can be confused and not act right. That's really when you start to see the extreme impacts of heat illnesses."
The National Weather Service differentiates heat exhaustion by the following signs: heavy sweating, pale and clammy skin and possible fainting and vomiting.
For the more serious heat stroke condition, warning signs can be high body temperature (106 degrees or higher), a rapid pulse, and possible unconsciousness.
"Things like alcohol, caffeine and poor hydration can also lead to a better chance of falling victim to heat illnesses," Patel said. "Most people who come in (to an emergency room) just have heat exposure, but the most important thing to do is to remove yourself from the heat — the situation causing it — as soon as possible."
Channel 13 reached out to the Clark County coroner and found out that so far this year, nine people have died from heat-related illness. However, roughly 90% of cases take around 90 days to determine true cause of death, meaning this number could be higher.
Patel said some medications — including high blood pressure meds and some psychiatric medications — can make people more likely to fall ill because of the heat.
FURTHER DETAILS: Some common medications can affect how you deal with higher temperatures
