Question

A person working in hot environment who consumes more water without salt is likely to develop a condition called

• A. Heat stroke
• B. Heat exhaustion
• C. Heat cramps
• D. Heat hyperpyrexia

Hint:

Losing salt in sweat but replacing only water leads to painful muscle spasms, not high fever or collapse.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Sweating in a hot environment carries away both water and salt. The question describes someone who replaces only the water, not the salt, and asks what condition follows.

1. Heat stroke: This is a failure of the body's cooling system, marked by a dangerously high core temperature and confusion. It is not about painful muscles from salt loss, so it does not fit here.
2. Heat exhaustion: This comes from a broader loss of fluid and salt together, with symptoms like weakness and dizziness but usually a near normal temperature. It is a milder, more general illness and does not specifically point to the salt-only depletion described in the question.
3. Heat cramps: When someone sweats out salt but drinks back only plain water, the drop in body sodium relative to water triggers painful spasms in the muscles that were working hardest. This exactly matches the scenario in the question.
4. Heat hyperpyrexia: This term describes an extreme rise in body temperature, closely related to heat stroke, and again has nothing to do with muscle cramps from low salt.

The detail about drinking extra water while skipping salt replacement is the classic setup for heat cramps, caused by a relative sodium deficiency in overworked muscles.

Let's summarize:

• Salt loss without replacement, even with enough water, causes muscle cramps.
• Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat hyperpyrexia all involve temperature or broader fluid problems, not this specific salt-depletion cramp picture.

So the correct condition is heat cramps.