What is hypothermia?
Hypothermia is when the internal body temperature becomes less than 35 C. It occurs when more heat is lost than the body can generate after being exposed to cold temperatures for prolonged periods. It could occur during cold weather as a result of wet or insufficient clothing, soaking in cold water or an exposed head.
Typically, the symptoms of hypothermia gradually develop. Also, those affected by it experience confusion both mentally and physical and become unaware that they need emergency medical treatment. Thus, hyperthermia can be fatal.
What are the symptoms?
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Shivering
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Stumbles
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Fatigue
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Garbled speech
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Slow breathing
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Loss of coordination
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Cold, pale skin
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Confusion
What are the causes?
It occurs when more heat escapes from the body than it can produce. Exposure to cold water and certain medical conditions also can cause hypothermia. Normal core body temperature is right around 37 C when it becomes less than 35 C it signals hypothermia.
Extended exposure to cold temperatures or a cool, damp environment is the usual cause of hypothermia. What contributes to this is inadequate or wet clothing and not carefully covered the extremities (especially the head as that is where a large amount of heat is lost through).
It can also occur in mild weather. Soaking to the skin on a cool day (either due to rain or fall into cool water) can lead to hypothermia which occurs due to the water evaporating from your skin, cooling your body and lowering the internal temperature. If there is wind blowing over the wet parts this would greatly increase both evaporation and cooling. Your body loses heat more quickly in water than in air. Hypothermia may develop within minutes or several hours, depending on the water temperature. The water doesn't have to be icy cold to cause hypothermia as all it needs is for the water temperature to be lower than the temperature of your body for you to lose some heat.
What is the treatment?
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Keep calm.
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If possible, get to a warm environment. Provide the person with warmth either by going indoors or if not possible shielding the body from the cold in the best way. Insulate the person from the cold ground.
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If able, remove wet clothing and replace them with a warm and dry covering.
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To warm the person, don't apply direct heat such as the use of hot water or a heating pad. Instead, apply warm compresses to the neck, chest and groin. Try not to warm the arms and legs; this can be fatal because it would force cold blood back toward the heart, lungs and brain, causing the body’s core temperature to plunge. If needed to provide heat, remove your clothing and lie next to the person, sharing heat through skin-to-skin contact. Then cover both of your bodies with a blanket.
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Unless the person is vomiting or is not alert, offer him or her warm nonalcoholic drinks.
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Deal with people with hypothermia gently, because they're at risk of cardiac arrest, therefore, don’t massage or rub anyone affected with hyperthermia.
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Monitor the person's breathing. Start CPR immediately when breathing stops.
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Call for emergency medical assistance (Dial 997).
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When medical help is given, a doctor will be able to warm the body from the inside out e.g. giving the person warm fluids intravenously. With severe hypothermia, hemodialysis is sometimes used to quickly restore normal body temperatures. The procedure works by removing excess extra fluid, chemicals and wastes from the blood. Then, by filtering the person’s blood through an artificial kidney, the blood is warmed outside the body before returning to the body, warming it from within.
Prevention:
The people at serious risk of hyperthermia are older adults, young children and really thin people or those who are physically impaired. It is especially risky for the homeless and the poor.
In cold weather:
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Keep emergency supplies (especially in your car) e.g. several blankets, matches, food like granola bars.
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Stay warm. You can layer clothes in cold weather, ear a hat or headwear (to keep the head warm) and wear a scarf (to keep the neck warm)
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Stay dry
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Avoid sweating (don’t overexert yourself)
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Avoid extreme cold conditions
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Ensure infants are adequately covered indoors even when asleep
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Use extra blankets when sleeping
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Check your temperature
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Have someone check on you regularly during cold weather
In cold water:
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Wear a life jacket
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Don't panic as any unnecessary movement will have your body lose heat
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The more body area you keep out of the water, the better your chances for survival therefore position your body to minimize heat loss.
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Hold your arms close to sides of your chest, legs crossed and pulled up, closing the groin and protecting the trunk of your body. If you're wearing a life jacket that forces your face downward, bring your legs tightly together, your arms to your sides and your head back.
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Huddle with others, keep close together and still - to keep colder water out. If you've fallen into cold water with other people, keep warm by facing each other in a tight circle.
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Keep your clothes tightly on and cover up your head if you can. Buckle, button and zip up your clothes this will help warm the water between your clothing and your body.
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Don't swim unless you're close to safety. Swimming is an option but this leads to expend extra energy, faster heat loss and exhaustion, even a strong swimmer would not be able to swim more than one kilometer in calm water. Cramp and hypothermia develop more quickly, usually a victim becomes semiconscious and is likely to drown.