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Ask Etter: Hypothermia

As the temperatures here at Shippensburg take a dip this week down into the single digits (and possibly into the negatives) be sure that you are taking precautions to keep yourself safe from Hypothermia. 

Hypothermia is a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature, usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. The risk of cold exposure increases as the winter months arrive.

Normal body temperature averages 98.6 degrees. With hypothermia, core temperature drops below 95 degrees. In severe hypothermia, core body temperature can drop to 82 degrees or lower.

When the balance between the body's heat production and heat loss tips toward heat loss for a prolonged period, hypothermia can occur. Accidental hypothermia usually happens after cold temperature exposure without enough warm, dry clothing for protection.

How does Cold Exposure Cause Hypothermia?

During exposure to cold temperatures, most heat loss -- up to 90% -- escapes through your skin. Heat loss through the skin happens primarily through radiation and speeds up when skin is exposed to wind or moisture. If cold exposure is due to being immersed in cold water, heat loss can occur 25 times faster than it would if exposed to the same air temperature.

The hypothalamus, the brain's temperature-control center, works to raise body temperature by triggering processes that heat and cool the body. During cold temperature exposure, shivering is a protective response to produce heat through muscle activity. In another heat-preserving response -- called vasoconstriction -- blood vessels temporarily narrow.

As your core body temperature cools, your organs produce less heat, in essence causing a protective "shut down" to preserve heat and protect the brain. Low body temperature can slow brain activity, breathing, and heart rate.

Confusion and fatigue can set in, hampering a person's ability to understand what's happening and make intelligent choices to get to safety.

Risk Factors for Hypothermia include those with mental illness, exposure to the outdoors or cold temperatures for extended periods of time, or people in cold weather whose judgment is impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Signs and Symptoms of Hypothermia

Hypothermia symptoms for adults include:

• Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses (shivering is actually a good sign that a person's heat regulation systems are still active. )

• Slow, shallow breathing
• Confusion and memory loss
• Drowsiness or exhaustion
• Slurred or mumbled speech
• Loss of coordination, fumbling hands, stumbling steps
• A slow, weak pulse
• In severe hypothermia, a person may be unconscious without obvious signs of breathing or a pulse

​Hypothermia is a potentially life-threatening condition that needs emergency medical attention. 

• Remove any wet clothes, hats, gloves, shoes, and socks.
• Protect the person against wind, drafts, and further heat loss with warm, dry clothes and blankets.
• Move gently to a warm, dry shelter as soon as possible.
• Begin rewarming the person with extra clothing. Use warm blankets or your own body heat if nothing else is available. 
• Take the person's temperature if a thermometer is available.
• Offer warm liquids, but avoid alcohol and caffeine, which speed up heat loss. Don't try to give fluids to an unconscious person.