Every May to September, Pakistani hospitals fill up with heat-related patients. Karachi’s Civil Hospital alone reports 70 to 80 such cases daily during peak heatwaves, according to a 2025 Express Tribune report. Many of these patients arrived too late because a family member couldn’t tell the difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke.<\/p>\n
The two conditions sit on the same spectrum of heat-related illness, but one is manageable at home and the other is a life-threatening emergency. Getting that distinction wrong can cost a life. Pakistan’s outdoor workers, rickshaw drivers, construction labourers, and students walking to school in June heat are all at risk every single day.<\/p>\n
This guide explains how to tell the two apart, what to do in the first 30 minutes, and when to call for help.<\/p>\n