Heat cramps in a hot desert work-site

ABSTRACT

To determine whether the increased numbers of patients attending the field clinics of an Arabian oil company in summer and complaining of limb and abdominal pains for which no apparent cause was found could have been suffering from heat cramps. The study was a prospective field study carried out in the desert work-sites of the Abu Dhabi onshore oil company The complaints were responsible for much discomfort, loss of working time and of efficiency in the work-force. All patients attending the desert clinics during the month of July 1997 and complaining of abdominal or limb pain were subjected to careful examination to determine the cause. In 132 cases no cause was found. The occupational and recreational history was taken and the electrolytes were measured. During the following equally hot month [August, 1997] the entire work force was given 60 mg of sodium chloride each day and the same surveillance took place at the clinics. During this month, only six patients presented to the clinics. When these six were questioned it seemed that four had not taken the salt tablets from fear of developing hypertension. It was concluded that the likely cause of the symptoms was heat cramps and during the following year [1999] when the same dose of salt was given during summer there were no complaints of heat cramps in the work-force. A secondary cause was the acceptance of health education material from a temperate zone and applying it directly to a hot work-site