Two Maryland men with heart conditions died this week, marking the first heat-related deaths of the year, the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Wednesday.
A 79-year-old Anne Arundel man and a 65-year-old Prince George?s man died from heart disease complicated by hyperthermia Monday, the department said.
“Chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and respiratory illnesses increase an individual?s risk,” DHMH Secretary John Colmers said in a statement.
The men?s names were not released because of patient confidentiality, said department spokeswoman Karen Black.
Anne Arundel rescue personnel responded at about 4:50 p.m. to the 700 block of Fern Hill Road in Pasadena for a possible cardiac arrest, said Anne Arundel fire spokesman Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia.
The man was found dead in his residence, which was closed up and had a temperature of about 95 degrees, Tobia said.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the Prince George?s man could not be obtained.
The state recorded 21 heat-related deaths in 2007, 43 in 2006 and 47 in 2005.
Health officials warned that heat stroke and heat exhaustion can develop from the hot and humid conditions typically associated with Maryland summers.
The National Weather Service had extended a heat advisory through Monday night as temperatures climbed to the upper 90s this past weekend.
Heat stroke is characterized by a body temperature greater than 105 degrees, and symptoms might include dry red skin, convulsions, disorientation, delirium and coma, according to the health department.
A storm that swept through the Baltimore area Tuesday evening provided some relief from the high temperatures, but left thousands without electricity.
“We certainly understand our customers? frustration with the heat, and we?re working just as quickly as we can to get [power] restored,” said Kelly Shanefelter, a BGE spokeswoman.
The American Red Cross of Central Maryland set up an air-conditioned shelter at the Westminster Senior and Community Center at 125 Stoner Ave.
