Hypothermia deaths
Hypothermia is a dangerous condition characterized by a significant drop in core body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), which can lead to severe health complications and even death. Each year, hundreds of accidental hypothermia deaths occur in the United States, especially in regions with harsh winters, although it can also affect individuals in milder climates and even during warmer months. Recognizing the symptoms early is crucial, as they vary by severity: mild hypothermia may cause confusion and shivering, while moderate hypothermia leads to reduced shivering and impaired breathing, and severe hypothermia can mimic death. Vulnerable populations include the elderly, very young, and those with certain medical conditions or substance use issues.
Emergency responses include moving the person to a warmer location, removing wet clothing, and providing insulation without direct heat, as the latter can provoke dangerous drops in core temperature. Awareness and preventive measures are essential for those at risk, highlighting the importance of monitoring individuals who may be exposed to extreme cold. Overall, understanding hypothermia can significantly impact survival rates and outcomes in emergency situations.
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Hypothermia deaths
- DEFINITION: Decrease in human core body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), which sometimes results in death.
- SIGNIFICANCE: Each year in the United States, hundreds of deaths are attributed to accidental hypothermia. Law-enforcement agencies and emergency medical personnel must be aware of the signs and recommended treatments for this life-threatening condition.
Hypothermia is a medical emergency. Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of hypothermia can prevent morbidity and mortality from this condition. In cases of mild hypothermia (core body temperature between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32 to 35 degrees Celsius), symptoms include changes in mental status (confusion, impaired judgment, slurred speech), increased shivering, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat. The symptoms of moderate hypothermia (core body temperature between 82 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or 28 to 32 degrees Celsius) consist of reduced shivering, hardened muscles, decreased breathing, and abnormal drowsiness. Severe hypothermia (core body temperature below 82 degrees Fahrenheit, or 28 degrees Celsius) is characterized by decline in brain activity, low blood pressure, diminished heart activity, and transient cessation of breathing; the person may appear dead and may have false rigor mortis.
Between 1979 and 2016, death rates as a direct result of exposure to cold ranged from 1 to 2.5 deaths per million people. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported in 2024 that more than 19,000 Americans died from cold-related causes from 1979 to 2016. Although most of the US fatalities from hypothermia occur in states that experience severe winters (particularly Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming), hypothermia has been documented in states with milder winters (including North Carolina and Mississippi), in Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer, and in hospitalized individuals. Forensic scientists need to be aware of the signs of death from hypothermia even in regions where such deaths are not common.
Untreated complications of hypothermia (cardiac arrest, shock, lethargy and coma) can lead to a fatal event, so it is important that if hypothermia is suspected, the person receives first aid and emergency medical treatment immediately. The individual should be taken to a warmer environment and covered with blankets or any other available material to prevent further loss of body heat and to provide insulation from the cold. Any wet, cold clothes the person is wearing should be removed, and the skin should be checked for frostbite. Direct heat should not be used for warming the individual because this can cause a sudden dangerous core body temperature drop.
Some kinds of people are more susceptible to hypothermia than others; these include the very old and the very young, individuals who are under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, and persons with certain chronic conditions, especially mental illness, malnutrition, dehydration, diabetes, hypothyroidism, or heart and blood circulation problems. Victims of accidents involving exposure to cold water may develop hypothermia, as may persons wearing inadequate clothing for protection from extremely cold or windy weather. It has been recommended that family members and friends of high-risk individuals should regularly monitor them to ensure that they are adequately protected from high winds and extremely cold temperatures and satisfactorily treated for their chronic illnesses.
Bibliography
"Climate Change Indicators: Cold-Related Deaths." Environmental Protection Agency, Apr. 2021, www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-cold-related-deaths. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.
Collins, K. J. Hypothermia: The Facts. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.
Giesbrecht, Gordon G., and James A. Wilkerson. Hypothermia, Frostbite, and Other Cold Injuries: Prevention, Recognition, Rescue, and Treatment. 2d ed. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2006.
"Hypothermia." Mayo Clinic, 16 Apr. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothermia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352682. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.
Pozos, Robert S., and Lorentz E. Wittmers, Jr., eds. The Nature and Treatment of Hypothermia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983.