Hypothermia - A Basic Overview

Hypothermia is a condition that occurs when the body temperatures drops below the normal 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit therefore causing normal body functions to be affected. Some functions that may be affected by it include the heart and the metabolic and nervous systems which intern lead to respiratory or severe heart problems and death may occur.

Causes

Hypothermia will generally occur when one is exposed to conditions that cause the body temperatures to go below normal. These conditions include exposure to cold temperatures, wetness, and dressing improperly. Others include dehydration, exhaustion and fatigue, alcohol intake and poor intake of food.

Signs and Symptoms

This condition is categorized into three stages i.e. mild, moderate and severe hypothermia.

When one has mild hypothermia they may shiver but not uncontrollably, they may be able to talk and walk but may not be able to do more complex functions like skiing.

Moderate hypothermia is characterized by loss of hand coordination and a person may be unable to perform simple task like zipping up. Others include dazed consciousness, slurred speech, violent shivering and irrational behavior.

Severe hypothermia is characterized by violent shivering that occurs in waves, the person also falls and curls up in order to conserve heat, the muscles become rigid, dilated pupils, reduced pulse rate and pale skin. The heart and breathing rate reduce as the body tries to hibernate; while the person affected may be alive it’s easy to think that they are dead.

Treatment

The first step is to warm the affected person by trying to conserve the heat they have and reduce heat loss through covering the person with warm clothing. If the person is wet, get them dry clothing and start a fire or if they are outside you can get them inside a shelter and administer warm fluids, you can also apply heat to specific parts of the body like the neck or hands using warm rocks or hot water bottles.

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