Microvascular Injury, Thrombosis, Inflammation, and Apoptosis in the Pathogenesis of Heatstroke: A Study in Baboon Model

Objective— Severe heatstroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality during heat waves. The pathogenesis of tissue injury, organ failure, and death in heatstroke is not well understood. Methods and Result— We investigated the pathways of heatstroke-induced tissue injury and cell death in anesthetized baboons ( Papio hamadyras ) subjected to environmental heat stress until core temperature attained 42.5°C (moderate heatstroke; n=3) or onset of severe heatstroke (n=4) signaled by a fall in systolic blood pressure to Conclusion— These data suggested that microvascular injury, thrombosis, inflammation, and apoptosis may play an important role in the pathogenesis of heatstroke injury.