About 30 percent of heat stroke cases examined occurred when people were resting quietly indoors, according to a survey compiled by doctors in Tokyo.
The survey, made available Saturday , was conducted by the Japanese Congress on Neurological Emergencies and the Tokyo Medical Association. It covered 374 hospitals, of which 53 responded with data on some 260 heat stroke patients.
The findings showed 82 people suffered heat stroke while resting quietly, of whom about 40 percent were aged 70 years or older.
Toru Ariga, a professor of acute medicine at Showa University and the representative of the Japanese Congress on Neurological Emergencies, said heat stroke, which can cause death, occurs even when people are resting in bed.