Why does heatstroke impair the body's ability to absorb water?

Under normal circumstances, heat stroke impairs the body's ability to absorb water, generally due to gastrointestinal dysfunction, circulatory disturbances, impaired cell membrane function, endocrine imbalance, and abnormal kidney metabolism. A detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Gastrointestinal dysfunction: The high fever caused by heat stroke irritates the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing mucosal congestion and edema, reduced secretion of digestive fluids, and slowed intestinal motility. This prevents water from being normally absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, thus affecting the body's water uptake.

2. Circulatory disturbances: Under high fever conditions, blood vessels dilate and blood flow concentrates on the skin surface to dissipate heat, resulting in insufficient blood perfusion to internal organs such as the gastrointestinal tract. This affects the movement of water through the vessel walls into tissue cells, reducing water absorption efficiency.

3. Impaired cell membrane function: Persistent high fever damages cellular structures, altering cell membrane permeability and affecting transmembrane water transport. This prevents cells from properly absorbing and utilizing water, hindering the body's effective water uptake.

4. Endocrine imbalance: Heat stroke interferes with hormone secretion in the body—for example, abnormal secretion of antidiuretic hormone leads to decreased renal water reabsorption function and simultaneously affects gastrointestinal regulation of water absorption, exacerbating water absorption impairment.

5. Kidney metabolic abnormalities: Heat stroke may cause kidney damage, leading to reduced kidney function and the inability to properly filter and reabsorb water, resulting in excessive water loss through urine and indirectly affecting the body's overall absorption and utilization of water.

For patients with heat stroke, immediate cooling measures should be taken and medical attention sought. Professionals should administer intravenous fluids to replenish water and electrolytes, while monitoring organ function to assist the body in recovering its normal ability to absorb water.