As temperatures heat up this summer, the risk of heat stroke silently escalates and poses a hidden threat to anyone exposed for too long. Heat stroke—a severe form of heat illness—can strike swiftly and with little warning. That is why, with summer heat waves becoming more frequent and intense, understanding the dangers and recognizing the symptoms of heat stroke is crucial during these sweltering months.

Heat stroke occurs in about 20 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. each year. Meanwhile, more than 60,000 people visit the emergency department each year for heat-related illness, and over 13% of those need hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The AMA’s What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series gives physicians a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today’s health care headlines.

In this installment, Bilal Bangash, MD, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Bayhealth in Dover, Delaware, discusses what patients need to know about heat stroke. Bayhealth is a member of the AMA Health System Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.