In the human body there are special mechanisms of thermoregulation. They allow you to maintain body temperature in a stable state. However, under the influence of various adverse factors, the thermoregulatory function may be impaired. Deadly body temperature for a person is considered to be such indicators at which the body can no longer function. What can cause this condition? And at what indicators of the thermometer is it necessary to sound the alarm? We will consider these issues in the article.
Normal performance
The human body is able to fully function only in a small temperature range. Its normal indicators are largely individual. They depend on the characteristics of the organism, external conditions, time of day. On average, indicators from +36.0 to +37.1 degrees are considered normal. Ifthe thermometer deviates from these figures up or down, then this usually indicates trouble in the body.
However, there are also indicators at which irreversible and incompatible changes occur in the body. A deadly human body temperature can be either below normal (hypothermia) or significantly higher (hyperthermia). In the first case, the death of the organism occurs due to general hypothermia. With hyperthermia, either the disease itself, which caused the rise in temperature, or the influence of external factors leads to death.
Dangerous indicators
What thermometer readings are considered dangerous? What is the lethal body temperature for humans?
If we are talking about hypothermia, then with numbers around 25 degrees there is already a serious threat to life. Doctors assess this condition as dying. A person can be saved only with the help of emergency resuscitation measures. If the body temperature drops below 20 degrees, then death occurs.
As for the high temperature, when the thermometer readings are above +42.5 degrees, the patient's metabolism in the neurons of the brain is disturbed. Massive death of nerve cells occurs. Even if doctors can save the patient's life at this stage, full recovery of he alth is unlikely. Some body functions will be lost forever. If the body temperature exceeds +45 degrees, then the destruction of proteins occurs in the human body. This almost inevitably leads to death.
Causes of hypothermia
Hypothermia most often develops under the influence of external factors. This condition occurs due to hypothermia. The following causes of hypothermia can be identified:
- wet and cold environments;
- staying in the cold while intoxicated;
- loss of consciousness at low air temperature;
- wearing wet or damp clothing;
- dehydration;
- exposure to cold water.
All of the above factors worsen the thermal insulation of the body and lead to hypothermia.
In some cases, the following diseases and conditions of the body become the cause of hypothermia:
- muscular dystrophy;
- body paralysis;
- decreased adrenal function;
- severe exhaustion.
These pathologies disrupt the process of thermoregulation. However, they cause pronounced hypothermia only in cold conditions. The lethal temperature of the human body (below 20 degrees) most often appears as a result of the simultaneous influence of internal and external factors. For example, a patient with thermoregulatory disorders has an increased risk of death from hypothermia if they are in the cold for a long time in light clothing.
Causes of hyperthermia
Body temperature most often rises under the influence of internal factors. Hyperthermia can be caused by the following diseases:
- infectious pathologies;
- inflammatory processes;
- festering (abscesses, phlegmon);
- tumors.
In these cases, hyperthermia is a protective reaction of the body to the invasion of a foreign agent (infection or tumor cells). The human immune system begins to actively produce antibodies and white blood cells to fight the disease. This process is accompanied by a pronounced temperature reaction.
What body temperature is lethal for a person with infectious and inflammatory pathologies? It is important to remember that in such diseases, the patient dies not due to overheating of the body, but from organ damage. The cause of death is not hyperthermia, but the disease itself. A high body temperature only indicates a serious condition of the patient.
For example, with the flu, the lethal body temperature for a person is about +42 degrees. Such indicators of the thermometer indicate a strong viral intoxication. Usually, doctors do not recommend artificially bringing down the temperature to +38 - +38.5 degrees. Fever is one of the signs of the immune system fighting infection. But a temperature of +39 degrees and above is considered an indication for taking antipyretics, since hyperthermia can adversely affect the state of brain cells.
Neurological pathologies can also become the cause of dangerous hyperthermia:
- stroke;
- brain hemorrhage;
- cranial injury.
With such diseases in humans, the parts of the brain responsible for thermoregulation can be affected. This causes a sharp rise in body temperature.
However, hyperthermiadevelops not only in internal diseases. Body temperature can also rise to critical levels due to external factors, such as heat or direct sunlight. This results in the following dangerous conditions:
- Heatstroke. This is an acute pathology that develops when a person is exposed to a high temperature of the external environment. Heat stroke can happen when working in hot shops, staying in the heat for a long time, and also in case of a fire. Overheating of the body leads to deterioration of the heart and difficulty breathing. Blood cells are destroyed by heat, and ammonia is released. This causes severe intoxication. In severe cases, a person dies from overheating.
- Sunstroke. From the luminary comes not only ultraviolet, but also infrared radiation, which negatively affects the body. With excessive exposure to sunlight, not only the surface of the skin overheats, but also the internal organs. Especially dangerous is the effect of infrared rays on the brain: it leads to disruption of the thermoregulatory center. If you do not help a person in time, he may die from overheating.
Development of hypothermia
Hypocooling of the body develops in several stages. Each stage of hypothermia is accompanied by certain symptoms, which depend on the degree of decrease in body temperature:
- Below +36 degrees. A person feels tension in the muscles of the neck and upper body. Decreased blood supply to the arms and legsthis patient cramps the limbs.
- Less than +35 degrees. Body temperature reaches such indicators when exposed to cold for 1 hour. This stage of hypothermia is accompanied by intense chills.
- Below +34 degrees. The production of enzymes in the brain is disrupted, degradation and death of nerve cells begins. Drowsiness, apathy, memory disorders appear.
- Less than +28 degrees. An acute oxygen deficiency forms in the body, the victim has hallucinations.
- Less than +25 degrees. Cardiac activity and breathing are greatly weakened, and consciousness becomes confused. There are serious disorders of coordination of movements, often a person is not able to move independently.
The death threshold for human body temperature is +20 degrees. With such indicators, the victim loses consciousness, he develops severe pulmonary edema. Death occurs due to the cessation of cardiac activity.
Danger of hyperthermia
With hyperthermia, blood circulation in a person deteriorates sharply. As a result, the organs overflow with blood, which leads to a violation of their function. Under conditions of overheating, the body produces an excessive amount of enzymes and hormones that have a toxic effect on the myocardium. As a result, the patient dies from cardiac arrest.
Deadly body temperature for a person is from +42 to +43 degrees. However, the patient may die at lower thermometer readings. After all, with hyperthermia on the bodyseveral risk factors are at work. High temperature leads to intoxication with metabolic products, disturbances in the water-s alt balance and disorders in the function of many organs. Such a negative complex effect becomes the cause of death.
First Aid
In order to prevent a decrease or rise in body temperature to dangerous levels, the patient must be provided with timely assistance. For heat stroke and sunstroke, the following procedure should be followed:
- Move the casu alty to a cool place out of the sun.
- Remove the patient's clothes and apply cold compresses to the body and forehead.
- If the patient is conscious, then you should give him a cool drink.
If hyperthermia is provoked by an infectious and inflammatory process, then antipyretic drugs should be given only at a temperature of +38.5 to +40 degrees. If the thermometer rises above +40 degrees, then you need to call an ambulance. Bringing down such a high temperature at home is dangerous.
The first aid algorithm for hypothermia is as follows:
- The victim is transferred to a warm room.
- Cold or damp clothes should be removed, rub the body and limbs with a soft cloth.
- Then the person should be covered with a warm blanket. Warm mittens or gloves are put on the patient's hands, and woolen ones on their feet.socks.
- The victim must be given hot sweet tea to drink. Giving alcohol is strictly forbidden, it can only worsen his condition.
If a person has suffered severe hypothermia or overheating of the body, then immediately after first aid, you must call a doctor. Hypothermia and hyperthermia are often accompanied by serious disorders of the body that require qualified treatment.
