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Summer's verdant warmth is receding fast and so is the daily temperature. If your mother told you never to leave the house without a hat in cold weather, you might want to heed her advice in the coming months.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature, affects the brain and makes victims unable to think clearly or move well. This makes the condition particularly dangerous because a person may not know he or she is suffering from it.
Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40 degrees) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.
Victims of hypothermia are often elderly people with inadequate food, clothing, or heating, babies sleeping in cold bedrooms, people who remain outdoors for long periods (hikers, hunters, etc.) and people who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.
Warnings signs of hypothermia:
In adults:
shivering, exhaustion
confusion, fumbling hands
memory loss, slurred speech
drowsiness
In infants:
bright red, cold skin
extremely low energy
If you notice any of these signs, take the person's temperature. If it is below 95 degrees, the situation is an emergency and you should seek medical attention immediately.
If medical care is not available, begin warming the person, as follows:
Get the victim into a warm room or shelter.
If the victim has on any wet clothing, remove it.
Warm the center of the body firstchest, neck, head, and groinusing an electric blanket, if available. Or use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing. In this case, handle the victim gently, and get emergency assistance immediately.
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