Causes of Low Body Temperature in Adults

One of the most important functions of the brain is to maintain the body temperature, which it does with the help of various organs like, the skin, lungs, etc. At ideal body temperature all the functions that are being carried out by various organs can take place without any kind of hindrance. However, there are certain conditions under which the normal temperature regulation of the body is hampered, and this in turn can lead to an increase in the body temperature (hyperthermia) or a decrease in the body temperature (hypothermia). Hypothermia is of two types; primary hypothermia is when the body's heat balancing mechanism is working fine but the body is subjected to extreme temperatures. Secondary hypothermia is when the body's temperature regulation center's functioning is impaired. Given below is some more information on the various causes of low body temperature in adults or hypothermia causes.

What are the Causes of Low Body Temperature in Adults?

The normal body temperature, when taken orally, is around 36.8 +/- 0.7 °C or 98.2 +/- 1.3 °F. However, if one were to not consider the range, then the approximate body temperature is said to be around 37.0 °C or 98.6 °F, and anything less than this can be considered low body temperature. Given below is a brief information about various low body temperature causes.

Alcoholism
One of the most common causes of low body temperature in adults is due to alcoholism. Development of hypothermia is one of the numerous short term effects of alcohol on your body. Alcoholism has this risk associated with it because of the effects of alcohol on the brain and the circulatory system. Alcohol leads to vasodilation, that is, dilation of blood vessels. This leads to more blood reaching the skin and extremities. This leads to flushing which makes the person feel warm, thus, leading to loss of heat. Thus, although alcohol can only lead to very mild and transient hypothermia, it has the ability of complicating cases of pre-existent hypothermia.

Cold Environment
Needless to say, being subjected to a cold immediate environment is also one of the causes of low body temperature in adults. This can be in the form of being subjected to cold air or being immersed in cold water. Being immersed in cold water leads to more dire and faster damage to the body compared to cold air, as water tends to cause more heat loss compared to air. Furthermore, heat loss due to cold air is gradual and it may take a few hours for the effects to be visible, whereas, heat loss due to cold water is fast and more severe. This is because, as the temperature decreases, cold related injuries like chilblains and frostbite set in, which makes it further difficult and impossible for the body to maintain its core temperature.

Other Causes
One of the other causes of low temperature in adults is due to hypothyroidism. This is because the thyroid hormones are responsible for maintaining the basal metabolic rate of the body. When this goes down, it leads to shivering and the body finds it difficult to maintain its core temperature. Other conditions that can lead to malfunctioning of the heat control center in the brain include stroke, bacterial infection, uncontrolled diabetes, severe malnutrition, spinal cord disorders or injuries, side effects of certain medicines, etc. However, these conditions are often present with other symptoms as well, hypothermia is not always the first symptom to be seen. Furthermore, certain types of head injuries may also damage the judgment and temperature controlling center of the brain, which may lead to hypothermia.

These were the various causes of low body temperature in adults. The treatment for hypothermia depends on the exact underlying cause. However, one should note that the symptoms of low body temperature should not be ignored. Ideally, the treatment for hypothermia needs to be rendered at the earliest so as to prevent any kind of severe or irreversible damage to body organs.