THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 17, 1995 TAG: 9502170556
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Because water conducts heat 30 times better than air, hypothermia can be a danger even in water in the low 70s.
``It doesn't take very long for that water to absorb the heat from your body and drop your body temperature,'' says Dr. Bernard Elser, medical director of the medical intensive care unit at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. ``It doesn't have to be icy cold, and it doesn't have to be that long.''
Any water below 98.6 degrees draws heat from the body. How long it takes for body temperature to drop dangerously low depends on the water temperature, your health and how exhausted you are.
The body responds to cold with shivers, which drives up body temperature, and blood vessels constrict to prevent further heat loss.
When body temperature drops to 90 degrees, hypothermia becomes life-threatening. Pulse and blood pressure drop, lungs and kidneys malfunction. The person becomes disoriented, often unable to make decisions or seek help.
On land, hypothermia can occur even in temperatures well above freezing.
Most cases of hypothermia actually occur indoors, among the elderly, Elser says.
KEYWORDS: GRAPHIC
KRT
FREEZING TO DEATH
SOURCES: VIKING DEFENSE REVIEW, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,
FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE
[FOR COMPLETE GRAPHIC, PLEASE SEE MICROFILM]
by CNB