Thursday, January 27, 2000
Hypothermia's a risk even in mild weather
BY DON COLBURN
The Washington Post
Hypothermia, an abnormal drop in body temperature, is a bigger threat during frigid weather, but it can strike even in moderate weather, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.
Hypothermia occurs when the body's internal temperature falls below 95 degrees. It is a medical emergency with a high fatality rate. During a recent 15-year period, nearly 12,000 deaths occurred in which hypothermia was the underlying cause, according to CDC.
The highest rates of reported hypothermia are in northern states with harsh winters and mountainous western states, where overnight temperatures often plummet at higher elevations. But deaths from hypothermia occur even in states with milder climates, where rapid changes in temperature are common, the CDC said.
Hypothermia can strike at moderate temperatures around 60 degrees, if inadequate clothing, dampness, high winds or prolonged exposure overcomes the body's ability to conserve heat. Alcohol also worsens the risk by impairing judgment.
Deaths from hypothermia have become less common during the past 20 years, possibly because of stepped-up warnings and prevention efforts or relatively moderate winter weather, CDC reported this month in its “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”
People most at risk of hypothermia include the elderly, very young children, the homeless and the mentally ill, and anyone with a serious medical condition, especially if they use drugs that widen the blood vessels and suppress the body's shivering response. Such drugs — including sedatives, anti-anxiety medication and antidepressants — can mask hypothermia symptoms and hinder the body's attempts to warm itself.
“The onset of hypothermia is often insidious,” CDC experts warned, “with early manifestations of exposure including shivering, numbness, fatigue, poor coordination, slurred speech, impaired (thought), blueness or puffiness of the skin and irrationality.”
During cold snaps such as Greater Cincinnati is having this week, the CDC report advised, people should wear warm clothing (including a hat), drink plenty of fluids but refrain from alcohol, and avoid fatigue and over-exertion.
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