The role of exercise in the etiology of exertional heatstroke.

Exertional heatstroke usually occurs among healthy, fit individuals who are motivated to perform strenuous exercise because of peer pressure, discipline, or athletic competition. In fact, exertional heatstroke deaths among high school athletes in the United States (ranked third only to head and neck injuries and heart failures), and the reluctance of race directors to cancel or postpone mass participation road races during periods of severe heat and humidity, emphasize a continuing need for widespread dissemination of information. The purposes of this symposium are 1) to convey essential information to the members of ACSM who are involved in exercise prescription, patient care, or athletic training; and 2) to disseminate recent scientific theories and research concerning exertional heatstroke.