Emergency · 4 min read · 2026-06-01

Heat stroke in a Gurugram summer

Heat exhaustion is heavy sweating, weakness, and thirst in someone who is still thinking clearly. Heat stroke is a hot person who is confused, fitting, or unconscious. Heat stroke is an emergency.

This page is general education for families in Gurugram. It is not a diagnosis, a medicine list, or a reason to skip a clinician. Doses are deliberately not given.

In plain language

The body normally cools by sweating. In extreme heat and humidity, especially in a closed room, in a car, or during outdoor work, cooling fails. The temperature then climbs and the brain is injured. Older adults, babies, people on some psychiatric and blood-pressure medicines, and outdoor workers are at highest risk. Cool the person while you arrange help. Move them to shade, remove excess clothing, and sponge with cool water. Do not put them in an ice bath at home. Do not give fluids if they are unconscious.

Signs worth noticing

These are the clues families usually notice first. One of them, on its own, is not a diagnosis.

Heavy sweat, headache, and nausea, still alert.
Cramps after heavy work in the sun.
Confusion, a seizure, or a person who is very hot and has stopped sweating.
A child or a pet left in a closed vehicle.

What usually sits underneath

Humidity stops sweat from evaporating, so the fan that felt adequate in dry heat fails in a wet heat. Dehydration makes it worse. Alcohol and a darkened room with no airflow are a bad combination for an older person living alone.

Care that is reasonable at home

Drink before you are thirsty if you work outside, unless you are on a fluid restriction.
Schedule heavy work for a cooler hour.
Check older relatives in a heatwave, in person.
Never leave a child in a car.

These steps are for someone who is otherwise stable. If the picture is changing quickly, skip the home trial and come in.

When waiting is a bad idea

Confusion, a fit, collapse, or a very hot dry person.
Vomiting that stops rehydration in someone who is already heat-exhausted.
A baby who is floppy in a hot room.

How Rao Lokram Charitable Trust fits in

Cool them on the way if you can do it safely, and come via emergency services if they are unconscious. Say it is heat. Prevention, for the rest of the season, is a conversation we can have at OPD. OPD runs Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at Near Rockford School, Anaj Mandi Chowk, Kadipur Road, Shakti Park, Sector 10A, Gurugram, Haryana. Call 98185 48492 or 70423 28047. There is no appointment form on this website.

Questions people ask

Is a ORS drink enough for heat stroke?

No. Heat stroke needs emergency cooling and medical care. ORS is for a alert person with cramps or diarrhoea.

Should I give paracetamol?

It does not fix heat stroke. Cooling does. Do not delay care to find a tablet.

Does a cooler in the room prevent it?

It helps if the room is actually cooler and the person is drinking. A cooler in a sealed hot room is not a guarantee.

If this sounds like you, bring the article on your phone if you want, but let the clinician examine you. Old reports and a list of current medicines make the visit shorter.