KEY POINTS:
The dangers of hypothermia in swimmers taking part in long-distance open water mass participation events will be highlighted at a conference in Wellington today.
Emergency medicine specialist Associate Professor Ian Rogers, from the University of Western Australia, will tell the 25th annual scientific meeting of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine that a high body mass index (BMI) appeared to protect against hypothermia, but the longer the swim the increased risk of it.
Prof Rogers studied competitors in a 19.2km open water swimming race in Perth.
There were 109 competitors - 70 male and 39 female - with an average age of 38.4 years.
Hypothermia was the commonest race-related illness, identified in 26 (22.9 per cent) of all participants, including five who required short-stay hospital care and two who required critical care transfer.
- NZPA
