Subnormal body temperature
 | This article is a stub. |
A subnormal or low body temperature is a body temperature below the normal, healthy range. Historically a normal body temperature was considered to be 98.6F (37°C), but more recent research has found the healthy temperature range to be between 97.5 F (36.4 C) and 97.9 F (36.6 C).[1]
Body temperature influences[edit | edit source]
Body temperature is known to be slightly higher or lower due to many different influences, including:
- small variations up or down during a typical day[1]
- age: infants and children under age 10 have a much lower normal temperature range, adolescents have a lower range to adults, people aged 65 or older have a lower healthy temperature range than younger adults[1]
- sex, and ovulation[1]
- where the temperature is taken, e.g., ear (which is considered closest to brain temperature), rectal, oral, forehead[2][3]
- Differences also exist between different people[4]
- metabolism and circadian rhythm (body clock)
- certain chronic medical conditions, (e.g., hypothyroidism: 0.013°C) or higher temperature (e.g., cancer: 0.020°C)[4]
Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]
The Canadian Consensus Criteria recognizes low body temperature as a neuroendocrine system symptom.[5]
However, a study by Jones et al. (1998) found patients meeting the CDC's 1988 Holmes criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome did not have a lowered core body temperature.[6]
Comparison[edit | edit source]
Subnormal body temperature is not the same as hypothermia, which is a medically dangerous body temperature of 95F (35°C) or lower and has complications including frostbite and trenchfoot.[7]
See also[edit | edit source]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
- Normal Temperature: What Should Your Body Temp Be? - Cleveland Clinic
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Normal Temperature: What Should Your Body Temp Be?". Cleveland Clinic. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ↑ "High temperature (fever) in adults". National Health Service. April 7, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ↑ Landsman, Ira S.; Hays, Stephen R.; Karsanac, Christopher J.; Franklin, Andrew (2012). "Temperature Monitoring". In Coran, Arnold G. (ed.). Pediatric Surgery. Philadelphia: Mosby. pp. 201–226. ISBN 978-0-323-07255-7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Obermeyer, Ziad; Samra, Jasmeet K.; Mullainathan, Sendhil (December 13, 2017). "Individual differences in normal body temperature: longitudinal big data analysis of patient records". BMJ. 359: j5468. doi:10.1136/bmj.j5468. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 5727437. PMID 29237616.
- ↑ Carruthers, Bruce M.; Jain, Anil Kumar; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Klimas, Nancy G.; Lerner, A. Martin; Bested, Alison C.; Flor-Henry, Pierre; Joshi, Pradip; Powles, AC Peter; Sherkey, Jeffrey A.; van de Sande, Marjorie I. (2003), "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols" (PDF), Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 11 (2): 7–115, doi:10.1300/J092v11n01_02
- ↑ Hamilos, Daniel L.; Nutter, David; Gershtenson, Josh; Redmond, Daniel P.; Clementi, Jeannie D. Di; Schmaling, Karen B.; Make, Barry J.; Jones, James F. (February 15, 1998). "Core body temperature is normal in chronic fatigue syndrome". Biological Psychiatry. 43 (4): 293–302. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(97)83214-3. ISSN 0006-3223.
- ↑ "Hypothermia". MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
