I've always have had a low body temperature. Last night I wasn't feeling too well so I figured I had a fever. When I took it it came out to 96.2. Thought it was fine and went to bed. This morning I retook it. 95.7. Whats going on and is this normal?
2006-06-26 17:00:04 · 8 answers · asked by SGT 3 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
98.6 is a normal AVERAGE, what ever you usually run is normal for you...if you are concerned talk to your doctor
2006-06-26 17:03:42 · answer #1 · answered by sassymaccat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
98.6 is average (not necessarily normal or not normal). Everyone varies a bit. My avg is 97...which used to annoy me in elementary school, because school nurse would say when I had 99 that I was normal/didn't have a fever.
That being said, <96 sounds on the low...you might want to make sure you've had it in your mouth long enough.
2006-06-26 17:05:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not a low-grade fever, that would be like 99.1 or something slightly above 98.6. And yes, it's normal for some people to run low.
2006-06-26 17:05:08 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it can be normal what is called normal is mid range so if you are a little high or low from that it is normal like i am one and a half degrees lower then normal, every day. that is a little to low so you might want to see someone about it if it dose not change but you should be ok
2006-06-26 17:12:46 · answer #4 · answered by Coconuts 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
low temperature is almost like as it would be a high temperature not good
2006-06-26 17:23:09 · answer #5 · answered by Joann S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your core temperature should be 98.6, if it goes below 92 i would consult a physician
2006-06-27 07:08:01 · answer #6 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
its a low grade fever
2006-06-26 17:02:42 · answer #7 · answered by cj 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
some what technical but i hope this will help you.
At temperatures below 35°C (95°F), the patient becomes less capable of generating heat, and body temperature continues to fall unless some action is taken. At a core temperature less than 30°C (86°F), the body assumes the temperature of the surrounding environment. While a history of cold exposure makes the diagnosis of hypothermia easy, hypothermia confounding other more obvious medical problems makes treating patients with hypothermia a challenge.
* Symptoms are vague and include the following:
o Hunger, nausea, dizziness, chills, pruritus, or dyspnea may be present.
o Extremity stiffness, weakness, and shivering also may be prominent.
o Clinical manifestations of hypothermia depend on the severity of the temperature reduction and the patient's premorbid condition.
* Risk factors include recreational exposure to a cold environment with activities such as mountaineering, skiing, winter camping, and hiking, especially in poorly prepared individuals.
* Hypothermia may accompany drug use or an overdose and usually is caused by exposure to cold associated with inadequacy of the patient's response mechanisms.
o Impaired judgment may result from use of alcohol, opioids, sedative-hypnotic agents, or phenothiazines.
o Reduced shivering response may result from phenothiazines or sedative-hypnotics.
o Peripheral vasodilatation can result from phenothiazine or vasodilator use.
o Miscellaneous drugs that may result in reduced response mechanisms include acetaminophen, clonidine, lithium, and atropine.
* The wearing of inadequate clothing for ambient temperatures (loss of behavioral response to cold) may affect individuals who are indigent or homeless, those with underlying mental disorders, elderly individuals, infants, and those who are immobilized due to injury or disease.
* Hypothermia as a complication of underlying diseases and exposure to cold may affect individuals with conditions such as hypothyroidism, sepsis, pneumonia, stroke, pancreatitis, hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, and uremia.
* Patients who become slightly hypothermic have altered judgment (referred to being “cold stupid” by some mountaineers), and they can exhibit bizarre behavior such as paradoxical undressing, where they remove clothing. This behavior may worsen heat loss, creating a vicious cycle.
* Mild hypothermia (32-35°C or 89.6-95°F)
o Tachypnea
o Vasoconstriction
o Tachycardia
o Ataxia
o Dysarthria
o Loss of fine motor coordination
o Lethargy
o Confusion
o Shivering
* Moderate hypothermia (28-32°C or 82.4-89.6°F)
o Shivering stops
o Delirium
o Reflexes slowed
o Level of consciousness diminishes
o Bradycardia
o J waves on ECG
o Cold diuresis
* Severe hypothermia (<28°C or 82.4°F)
o Unresponsiveness or coma
o Hypotension
o Very cold skin
o Pulmonary edema
o Acidemia
o May appear dead
o Ventricular fibrillation
o Loss of reflexes
* Although numerous classifications exist and often overlap, causes of hypothermia can be divided into the following 3 categories: (1) decreased heat production, (2) increased heat loss, and (3) impaired thermoregulation. These can occur concurrently (as in a patient on phenothiazine who goes cross-country skiing and uses alcohol) or sequentially (such as an elderly patient who breaks a hip and is found on a cold floor hours after the injury) and are not mutually exclusive. In the urban setting, alcohol intoxication is the most common predisposing factor to hypothermia.
* Patients who become slightly hypothermic experience altered judgment (referred to being cold stupid by some mountaineers).
o They can exhibit bizarre behavior such as paradoxical undressing, where they remove clothing. This behavior may worsen heat loss, creating a viscous cycle.
o The author has personal experience in trying to care for a mountaineer with hypothermia who was throwing off his coat and resisting efforts to be warmed. The ambient temperature was 15°F in a snowstorm.
* Hypothermia can occur anytime the ambient temperature is lower than body temperature.
o Hypothermia even may occur in relatively moderate environments, especially if the patient gets wet. People who participate in outdoor winter recreation who do not take this fact seriously are at risk.
o Patients who have injuries or illness that interfere with thermoregulation can become hypothermic even in relatively mild environments.
Medical Care: Treatment begins in the prehospital environment, with removal of wet clothing, passive rewarming of the victim, and removal from the cold environment. Associated injuries are stabilized, and the patient should be transported as soon as possible. Rough handling of the patient may precipitate ventricular arrhythmias and should be avoided. An axiom in treatment is that a patient with hypothermia may appear dead; therefore, a patient is not considered dead until they are warm and dead.
* The procedure to follow upon arrival at the emergency department is as follows:
o The patient's vital signs, temperature, and ECG should be monitored continuously.
o Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is started if no pulse is present.
o Because many arrhythmias convert spontaneously upon rewarming, aggressive therapy of minor arrhythmias is not warranted. Transient ventricular arrhythmias should be ignored. This also is true of bradycardia or atrial arrhythmias.
o Defibrillate at 2 J/kg if the patient is in ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, and promptly administer amiodarone. In the past, Bretylium (10 mg/kg) was considered the drug of choice, but recently it has become unavailable. Note that because no controlled studies have been conducted on amiodarone, this recommendation is made due to a general trend by intensivists rather than definitive evidence. Success rates of defibrillation are low if the core temperature is less than 32°C.
o If defibrillation fails, repeat attempts should be made after every 1°C rise in body temperature.
o Drugs that normally are used in arrest situations (eg, lidocaine) have little effect if core temperature is less than 30°C and should not be used until core temperature is above this value. Procainamide may precipitate ventricular fibrillation and should be avoided.
o Accurate assessment of core temperature is important. The rectal temperature is the most accurate. Tympanic measurements are not reliable.
o Oxygen therapy is started until blood gas results are available.
o Indications for intubation are the same as in a normothermic patient. Because coagulopathies are common in patients with hypothermia, methods of intubation that pose the least risk of trauma are recommended. Intubation with direct visualization of the cords, performed by an experienced operator, is optimal. Because hypocapnia can increase ventricular irritability, avoiding overzealous ventilation is imperative.
o Nasogastric tube placement may be warranted to relieve gastric distention.
o A large bore IV line is placed. An initial bolus of 250-500 cc of 5% dextrose in isotonic sodium chloride solution is indicated in most patients with a core temperature of less than 32°C. The clinical situation determines if more or less fluid should be used. Intravenous fluids should be heated to 40-42°C if possible. Rapid fluid resuscitation usually is necessary if the clinical scenario dictates because cardiovascular efficiency improves with crystalloid administration.
o Hypotension is treated by volume replacement and rewarming. Vasopressors should be avoided because they have little effect on vasoconstriction secondary to hypothermia and can precipitate ventricular fibrillation.
* The cornerstone of treatment is rewarming the patient. Significant controversy exists regarding the best method to rewarm victims, and, consequently, the choice is based on the degree of temperature depression and availability. The practitioner should use the fastest method that is available and appropriate for the patient. The mechanical details of each method are not discussed in this text. The reader should decide which methods are available or practical in his or her institution and learn that method well.
o Passive external warming: The patient is insulated from heat loss and allowed to generate heat by themselves. This method is useful for mild cases with no underlying disease. It is a slow method, generating only 0.5-2°C/h.
o Active external warming: External heat is applied to the patient's skin in a noninvasive manner. It is useful in milder cases. Because the vasoconstricted extremities hold pooled blood, warming of the extremities may result in a reversal of the vasoconstriction and may release incompletely rewarmed blood back to the central circulation. This return of relatively cold blood to a warmer core may cause temperature after-drop or arrhythmias. Nevertheless, in 1 study, this method was used successfully in 16 patients. Rewarming the trunk alone may minimize this problem.
+ Immersion in water bath at 40°C: Monitoring and resuscitation are difficult.
+ Radiant heat sources from the typical hospital are warmers often used in nurseries. Heated blankets and heating pads also may be used.
+ Forced-air rewarming is practical and can rewarm as fast as 2.4°C/h. This should be used in conjunction with warmed oxygen and warmed IV fluids. One study showed no complications with this method
o Active core rewarming: Numerous methods exist and are dependent on availability and operator competence. They include the following:
+ Heated infusions and heated inhalation: These should be used in all patients with hypothermia as an adjunct to other methods.
+ Heated gastric and colonic lavage: This method is limited by surface area and should be used as an adjunct to other methods. Kits are commercially available and are convenient. Regurgitation is common. CPR must be stopped during fluid installation.
+ Mediastinal lavage: The heart is bathed with isotonic sodium chloride solution, heated to 40°C, through a sternotomy or left thoracotomy incision. The procedure is invasive and should be used only if cardiopulmonary bypass is immediately available or the patient is in full cardiac arrest.
+ Closed thoracic lavage: A large bore thoracotomy tube is placed anteriorly. A drain tube is placed posteriorly. Sterile isotonic sodium chloride solution is infused and not recycled. This method could induce ventricular fibrillation if placed in the left hemithorax. It should be used only if cardiopulmonary bypass is immediately available.
+ Peritoneal lavage: This is available at most hospitals. A standard 1.5% dextrose dialysate is heated to 40-45°C. This method may help detoxification in drug overdose and rewarms the liver faster than other methods. Rewarming averages 1-3°C/h. It is not routinely advocated for stable patients.
o Extracorporal blood rewarming: All of these methods take time to set up and have varying availabilities at each hospital. They require considerable skill to perform.
+ Hemodialysis
+ Atriovenous rewarming
+ Venovenous rewarming
+ Cardiopulmonary bypass: This may require systemic anticoagulation and may be contraindicated in trauma patients. It can worsen coagulopathies. Newer technology may permit use without anticoagulation. This method is fast; core temperature may rise 1-2°C every 3-5 minutes.
o Diathermy: Heat is delivered ultrasonically by conversion of energy. It is contraindicated in patients with frostbite burns, significant edema, and implanted metallic objects.
2006-06-26 17:24:40 · answer #8 · answered by a2222nath 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋