Files and links (2)
Epidemiology of Exertional Heat Illness in the Military A Systematic Review of Observational Studies1.42 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Epidemiology of Exertional Heat Illness in the Military: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.17(19), pp.1-27
2020
PMCID: PMC7579124
PMID: 32993024
Abstract
Exertional heat illness (EHI) is an occupational hazard among military personnel. This systematic review describes the incidence, risk factors, clinical manifestations, and biomarkers of EHI in the military. Six databases from inception to 28 May 2020 were systematically reviewed using the PRISMA guidelines. Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria and the incidence of EHI ranged from 0.2 to 10.5 per 1000 person years, while the prevalence rates ranged from 0.3% to 9.3%. Intrinsic risk factors influencing EHI were gender, physical fitness, obesity, previous history of heat illness, and motivation, while the extrinsic factors included hot environmental conditions and service unit. Evidence suggests that loss of consciousness, absence of sweating and confusion were the common clinical features of exertional heat stroke (EHS). The mean core temperature ranged from 40 to 41.6 degrees C, while elevated levels of creatine phosphokinase, liver enzymes, and creatinine were common biochemical markers of EHS. The findings of the review suggest a variation in the incidence of EHI among military populations possibly due to the varying definitions used. Although some risk factors of EHI were identified, more analytical studies are needed to investigate the association between EHI and other important factors such as acclimatisation and occlusive clothing.
Details
- Title
- Epidemiology of Exertional Heat Illness in the Military: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies
- Authors
- Faith O. Alele (Corresponding Author) - James Cook UniversityBunmi S. Malau-Aduli (Author) - James Cook UniversityAduli E. O. Malau-Aduli (Author) - James Cook UniversityMelissa J. Crowe (Author) - James Cook University
- Publication details
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.17(19), pp.1-27
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijerph17197037
- ISSN
- 1660-4601; 1661-7827
- PMID
- 32993024; PMC7579124
- Copyright note
- © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Public Health
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99967597202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
1 File views/ downloads
10 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites