Clinical Spectrum of Pediatric Heat Illness and Heatstroke in a North American Desert Climate.

ABSTRACT: The spectrum of historical features and clinical presentations of heat illness and heatstroke in the pediatric population has received limited focus in the emergency medicine literature. The majority of published cases involve children trapped in closed spaces and adolescent athletes undergoing high-intensity training regimens in geographical regions with moderately high ambient temperatures and high humidity. There has been less research on the potential impact of extreme temperatures and radiant heat that are the hallmarks of the US southwest region. We performed a retrospective review of pediatric heat illness at our facility located in a North American desert climate.