11.10 : 体温の低下

Conditions that decrease body temperature include hypothermia and frostbite.

Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature drops due to prolonged exposure to a cold environment, surpassing its ability to produce heat.

It can be caused accidentally due to exposure to a cold environment or can be induced deliberately for surgical or emergency treatment in an attempt to reduce metabolism.

Other causes include toxin exposures, metabolic imbalances, and infections.

Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, memory loss, cyanosis, impaired judgment, bradycardia, bradypnea, and hypotension.

Severe hypothermia can cause cardiac dysrhythmias, unconsciousness, and insensitivity to pain.

Frostbite is a condition caused by prolonged exposure to extreme cold. This condition causes damage to the affected tissues.

It primarily affects the earlobes, nose, fingers, and toes.

In frostbite,  ice crystals accumulate in cells, causing irreversible tissue damage. The affected region becomes white, waxy, stiff, and numb.

The symptoms include numbness, severe pain, and blisters. Extreme cases can lead to gangrene.

Hypothermia and frostbite can cause serious health risks if not treated promptly.