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Hypothermia > Patient Education Author: Dmitri Guvakov, MD, PhD; Stuart Weiss, MD, PhD; Albert Cheung, MD
Module updated - 2011-03-28
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Rationale:

  • Hypothermia occurs when persons in a cold environment cannot maintain normal body temperature.
  • The body responds to cold by increasing heat production and maintaining core temperature through peripheral vasoconstriction and shivering.
  • Hypothermia occurs faster in water-related activities, because water is a better heat conductor than air.

Evidence:

  • Several observational studies (178) and reviews (71; 179) document hypothermia and other cold-related injuries in military personnel and outdoor athletes and stress the importance of preventive measures and early detection.

Comments:

  • A person's ability to generate and maintain a normal physiological core temperature (35.5 to 37.2°C [95.9 to 98.96°F]) depends on adequate physical fitness, hydration, absence of injury, and proper clothing.

FAQs
Albert Cheung, MD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Dmitri Guvakov, MD, PhD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Stuart Weiss, MD, PhD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Wenjun Martini, PhD, editorial consultant, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations.
Deborah Korenstein, MD, FACP, Co-Editor, PIER, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Richard B. Lynn, MD, FACP, Co-Editor, PIER, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations.

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