Heat rash

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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Heat rash usually heals without problems, but complications sometimes occur, such as:

  • Infection. Occasionally, heat rash becomes infected with bacteria, causing inflamed and itchy pustules. This is especially common in children in diapers but shouldn't be confused with diaper rash, which results from irritation to tender skin, not from blocked pores.
  • Heat exhaustion. In hot weather, people with miliaria profunda are at risk of heat exhaustion, which can cause low blood pressure, nausea, headache and a rapid pulse. Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a life-threatening condition.

DS01058

Jan. 18, 2008

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