Rare Case of Heat Stroke Highlights Hidden Dangers of Saunas

A trip to the sauna can be incredibly relaxing – just remember to stay hydrated. In a new report this week, doctors warn of the potential dangers of not heeding this advice: a rare but life-threatening case of heat stroke.

UK medics have detailed the unusual accident, which involved a woman in her 70s who fainted from heat stroke in the sauna at her local gym. Although the woman was hospitalized for nearly two weeks as a result, she eventually recovered. But the cautionary tale highlights the importance of regular hydration on sauna days.

According to the paper, published Tuesday in BMJ Case ReportThe woman was an avid sauna goer who had experienced no previous problems But on that fateful day, he was found passed out in the sauna of his local gym 45 minutes into a stretching exercise. He was rushed to the emergency room with a dangerously high body temperature, where he was rapidly cooled with wet towels and fans, as well as intravenous fluids and blood products.

The woman developed a seizure soon after her hospital visit, and tests revealed she had suffered a mini heart attack and damage to her kidneys and other organs. But two hours after his temperature stabilized, he began to regain consciousness. By day three, he was no longer confused or drowsy, and he had recovered enough to be discharged 12 days after his first hospitalization. A month after his heat stroke, he had almost fully recovered except for some mild fatigue and liver damage.

The woman had a history of type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism, but exercised regularly and avoided smoking and heavy drinking. So he wasn’t at particularly high risk for heat stroke due to hot weather, his doctors say. Although rare, saunas are known to trigger cases of heat stroke in low-risk people.

“Sauna use is a rare but potentially important cause of classical heat stroke in patients with some risk factors for this disease,” the doctors wrote.

How rare? Well, doctors looked back through the medical literature and found nine other reported cases of heat stroke tied to saunas alone. In this case, the patient himself believed that it was his lack of hydration that sealed his fate.

“As a regular sauna user I never had any problems and, upon reflection, I believe I didn’t drink enough water,” the woman wrote in an accompanying perspective.

The most important aspect of treating heat stroke is time, as cooling someone down quickly within thirty minutes is highly effective in reducing organ damage from the condition, according to doctors. So in addition to reminding people to stay hydrated, the woman also hopes that sauna-owning businesses do their due diligence to keep a timely eye on their clients.

“My experience emphasized the dangers of saunas and how important it is to be fully hydrated when entering a sauna and to have them regularly checked by staff,” he said.

To which he added: “As a side note, considering what I’ve been through, I know I’m very lucky and can’t thank the medical staff enough.”