CBS 2: Medical Experts Say Young Athletes Are More at Risk of Heat-Related Illnesses

CBS 2 recently interviewed Carlos Uquillas, MD, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai, about the heightened risk of heat-related illness among young athletes practicing fall sports in record-breaking heat.

Uquillas told CBS LA Mornings anchors Sheba Turk and Jamie Yuccas that young athletes often struggle to recognize the warning signs of heat illness, such as an elevated body temperature, headache, increased sweating, dizziness and nausea.

“Kids can regulate temperature fairly well when they’re healthy,” he said. “However, we get into trouble when you combine extreme heat, intense exercise, dehydration, and all the sports equipment that they have to wear.”

Uquillas told Turk and Yuccas that it can take children up to two weeks to acclimate to heat. In fact, many arrive at sports practice already dehydrated.

“Talking about hydration before you even kick off is really important,” he said, adding that educating parents and coaches about the signs of heat illness matters because “it’s really a medical emergency when it starts.”

Uquillas told Turk and Yuccas that heat with humidity is more dangerous than dry heat because high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating effectively.

“Sweating cools our body by evaporating, and if it doesn’t evaporate, it doesn’t dissipate the heat appropriately,” he said.

For athletes wearing heavy football gear, Uquillas recommended frequent breaks for cooling and hydration, as well as removing helmets and wearing less equipment when possible. He also said reducing direct sun exposure can help reduce the risk of dehydration.

Watch the complete segment from CBS 2.