A low body temperature may be an alleged condition due to incorrect measurement, neurological disease, endocrine disease, malnutrition, or a side effect of certain medications. Lowering body temperature may also appear in children, and then it should always arouse vigilance, as it may be a symptom of even a life-threatening infection for a small patient. Find out what other causes of low body temperature may be.
A low body temperature can have many causes. The normal human body temperature is assumed to be between 36.4 and 37 ° C. However, the given range is indicative - the temperature norms differ depending on where the body temperature is measured (different norms apply to measurements in the rectum, and different measurements of the temperature in the armpit or inside the oral cavity).
In the case of temperature, the most common hearing about its increase is fever. There is also a possibility of the opposite situation, i.e. a drop in body temperature below normal. This condition can be described as hypothermia and can be diagnosed when the body temperature drops below 35 ° C.
In some patients, however, there is a situation in which their temperature deviates from both the norm and the criteria for hypothermia - then we can simply talk about too low body temperature. which should be excluded is the measurement error.
It may simply turn out that the patient has taken his temperature for too short a time or that the thermometer simply does not adhere to his body surface sufficiently. To exclude the above-mentioned situations, it is best to simply repeat the measurement with a proven thermometer and make sure that all conditions for correct body temperature measurement are met.
How to measure the temperature correctly?
In some people - after making sure that there was no error - the temperature is still below normal. Both external and internal factors can lead to such a state.
Causes of low body temperature: environment
The temperature of the human body is undoubtedly influenced by the conditions in which the patient stays. The cause of too low heatthe body may simply be in a cold environment. The same can happen when a person wears wet clothes for a long time - then the temperature may also drop.
Diseases leading to too low body temperature
Too low body temperature can be - as already mentioned above - a temporary state, but it can also persist in the patient for a long time. There are a number of disorders that may be the cause of a reduced body temperature. Examples of them include:
- hypothyroidism
- adrenal insufficiency
- liver failure
- drug use
- hypopituitarism
- diabetes
- alcohol abuse
- kidney failure
- poisoning (e.g. with ethylene glycol)
- malnutrition
- anemia
- side effects of certain medications (e.g. benzodiazepines, barbiturates, neuroleptics or beta-blockers).
The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating the body temperature, therefore any disturbances affecting the functioning of this part of the brain may also lead to too low body temperature. Neurological conditions that can cause a low temperature are:
- stroke
- multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson's disease
- head injury
- spinal cord injury
- intracranial bleeding
- tumors of the central nervous system
Causes of low temperature in children
The group of patients in which temperature variations can be of particular concern are children. While infections, one of the most serious of which is sepsis, lead to fever in most patients, they can also cause a low body temperature.
In the event of a low body temperature in a child, it is necessary to rule out also quite trivial causes of this condition.
For example, infants are extremely sensitive to hypothermia and in a situation when they stay in a low temperature, they can quickly develop a low body temperature.
In the case of children, it should also be remembered that their thermoregulatory mechanisms may not be fully developed and therefore their temperature may be too low. However, in case of any doubts as to the child's he alth, it is always recommended to consult a doctor.
Read also:
- Fever in a child
- Low fever
- Which thermometer should I choose?
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