To avoid unnecessary panic, one needs to know about the spectrum of this heat illness because not all its forms will lead to death. Spectrum in increasing severity includes: Heat cramps, Heat syncope, Heat exhaustion, Heat stroke.

Pakistan witnessed worst form of heat wave that took the lives of over a thousand people from all walks of life. It mostly affected the province of Sindh with temperatures soaring to as high as 50 oC.  The heat wave was a symptom of global climate change, aggravated by deforestation, expansion of asphalt superhighways, and rapid urbanisation.