Abstract
Permanent Memory Deficits with Normal MRI Following Heat Stroke after Physical Activity and Sauna
Highlights
Heat stroke (HS) is a life threatening illness that occurs after exposure to high environmental temperature or strenuous physical activity
We report a unique case of a patient who suffered from a heat stroke after strenuous physical activity and sauna, resulting in persistent memory deficit with normal acute and follow-up normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
In this report we describe a patient with permanent memory disorders after HS
Summary
Heat stroke (HS) is a life threatening illness that occurs after exposure to high environmental temperature (classic or nonexertional) or strenuous physical activity (exertional). Central nervous system injuries may be explained by numerous pathological mechanisms: vasogenic edema and microvascular thrombosis with subsequent small vessels ischemic damage, and cytotoxic effect of the heat on most vulnerable cells [2]. Brain damage after HS usually involves cerebellum, being the Purkinje cells more vulnerable to heat stress [3], but differs in supratentorial findings, involving basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebral cortex, and rarely in the medial temporal lobes [4,5,6,7,8]. Given the neurological presentation of HS, brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are normal in many cases, providing rare findings of cerebral edema, atrophy, or ischemic-hypoxic damage [9]. In two patients persistent memory disorders in association with MRI findings of bilateral thalamic or hippocampal damage have been reported [5,8], and to the best of our knowledge there is no case study reporting patients with persistent memory deficit with normal MRI findings
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