Hypothermia is a dangerous condition caused by exposure to cold or cold water, with symptoms ranging from mild chills to organ failure and death. Treatment involves warming the body and monitoring the heart, while prevention includes dressing warmly and avoiding cold water.
Hypothermia is a reduction in body temperature, usually through exposure to cold or cold water. If left untreated, especially in its later stages, it is extremely serious and can cause organ death, cardiac arrhythmias or extreme disorientation which leads the patient to remain outdoors and undress because he does not feel the cold. If the person is not found and treated quickly, death is likely.
The first stage of hypothermia has been experienced by many people at one time or another. It is defined as a drop in body temperature of 1° to 3° (1°F equals 1.8°C). Normal body temperature is around 98.6°F (37°C). Stage one hypothermia lowers body temperature from 96.5° to 95°C (35.83°-35°F). A person may feel numbness in their hands, goosebumps, mild chills, and may also notice that their lips appear blue. Babies entering a cold body of water can quickly show evidence of this amount of temperature drop. The best thing for parents to do is take them out of the water and cover them with a warm towel.
In the second stage, the body temperature drops between 95 and 91.4°C (35°C and 33°F). Hypothermia at this stage is dangerous. People may not be able to use their muscles properly, they may be confused, and their extremities may feel completely numb. The skin becomes very pale and the lips and extremities may turn blue. The shivering is usually extreme, as it is an attempt to keep the body warm.
The third stage is defined by body temperature at or below 90°C (32.22°F). While people may not shiver at this stage, they still have difficulty moving around. The heart beats faster, confusion is significant, and organs begin to fail. Without treatment, this stage is fatal.
Hospitals treat hypothermia using warming blankets and, in some cases, warm intravenous fluids to help raise organ temperatures and improve circulation. They also closely monitor the heart for any signs of irregular heart rhythms.
When a person cannot get to a hospital immediately, simply walking in to shelter from the cold can help. People may also need to use CPR if the person isn’t breathing. The best treatment is to attempt to warm the person up and perform CPR if necessary until help arrives. People who cannot find an indoor environment should use blankets, jackets or anything else to prevent the person from lying directly on the ground. People who are providing treatment should never use heating pads or give alcohol to a person with suspected hypothermia as this can make the condition worse.
Under conditions that could induce hypothermia, individuals should not give up their sources of heat if they do not have access to an indoor environment. In this case, it may be best for people exposed to the cold to lie as close together as possible to share body heat.
What causes these dramatic drops in body temperature is actually the way the body is trying to help itself. When the body is exposed to cold, the capillaries and veins that feed the extremities begin to constrict. This constriction continues as exposure to cold continues, with the end result of stopping blood flow to organs, resulting in tissue death.
The best way to prevent hypothermia is to dress warmly, covering all extremities in cold weather. Individuals should not swim in very cold lakes or pools. Many people forget to wear a hat or otherwise cover their head, which provides an easy way for body heat to escape. Hikers should avoid areas with rapid weather changes without a full supply of extreme weather gear and a cell phone or mobile radio in case of an emergency.
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