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Hypothermia is the cause of at least 1,500 deaths a year in the United States. [2] It is more common in older people and males. [5] One of the lowest documented body temperatures from which someone with accidental hypothermia has survived is 12.7 °C (54.9 °F) in a 2-year-old boy from Poland named Adam. [6]
Myxedema coma is an extreme or decompensated form of hypothyroidism and while uncommon, is potentially lethal. [1] [2] [3] A person may have laboratory values identical to a "normal" hypothyroid state, but a stressful event (such as an infection, myocardial infarction, or stroke) precipitates the myxedema coma state, usually in the elderly.
Severe cases can cause cardiac arrest. [9] Hypothermia should be treated first, if present, by bringing core body temperature above 35 degrees Celsius. [6] [10] Raynaud's phenomenon: An abnormal spasming of blood vessels often in the tips of fingers and toes - usually in response to strong emotions or cold exposure. [8]
Targeted temperature management (TTM) previously known as therapeutic hypothermia or protective hypothermia is an active treatment that tries to achieve and maintain a specific body temperature in a person for a specific duration of time in an effort to improve health outcomes during recovery after a period of stopped blood flow to the brain. [1]
Drug-induced cognitive problems can have serious consequences for elderly people and can lead to confusional states and "pseudo-dementia". About 10% of elderly patients referred to memory clinics actually have a drug-induced cause that most often is benzodiazepines.
Drug-induced fever is a symptom of an adverse drug reaction wherein the administration of drugs intended to help a patient causes a hypermetabolic state resulting in fever. The drug may interfere with heat dissipation peripherally, increase the rate of metabolism , evoke a cellular or humoral immune response , mimic endogenous pyrogen , or ...
In a Swedish (2003) study benzodiazepines were implicated in 39% of suicides by drug poisoning in the elderly 1992–1996. Nitrazepam and flunitrazepam accounted for 90% of benzodiazepine implicated suicides. In cases where benzodiazepines contributed to death, but were not the sole cause, drowning, typically in the bath, was a common method used.
Some drugs cause excessive internal heat production. [2] The rate of drug-induced hyperthermia is higher where use of these drugs is higher. [2] Many psychotropic medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and tricyclic antidepressants, can cause hyperthermia. [2]