Normal human body temperature. Symptoms of low temperature

Measuring body temperature or thermometry is a valuable objective indicator of the condition of the human body. But the answer to the question “Which normal temperature human body? not so simple.

The normal body temperature of an adult is 36.6 °C. But this is only an average. In fact, physiological fluctuations in body temperature healthy person are within the range of 35.5 to 37.4 °C. This is natural: during sleep, metabolic processes slow down and body temperature decreases, and while awake, especially during physical and emotional stress, body temperature rises. Therefore, morning temperatures are usually lower than afternoon or evening temperatures. Also, body temperature depends on the method and place of its measurement, gender, age and condition of the subject. And in women from or pregnancy. A child’s body temperature is more labile and depends to a greater extent on the ambient temperature and the state of the body.

Fever or hyperthermia

A person's body temperature above 37.4 °C is considered elevated. Reasons high temperature:

Overheating of the body or heatstroke;
Infectious diseases;
Oncological diseases;
Excess hormones thyroid gland;
Disruption of the thermoregulation center of the brain

The critical temperature of the human body at which some proteins begin to denature is 42 °C. The maximum human body temperature of 46.5 °C was recorded in the United States in a man after heatstroke.

Low temperature or hypothermia

Body temperature below 35.5 °C is considered low. Causes of low temperature:

Hypothermia;
Hypothyroidism or lack of thyroid hormones;
Asthenic conditions during exhaustion, after a serious illness, poisoning or stress.

The minimum critical temperature at which coma occurs is 25° C. Minimum temperature human body temperature of 14.2 °C was recorded in a Canadian girl after severe hypothermia. Amazing fact!

How to measure temperature?

There are 3 main ways to measure body temperature:

Axillary, when the thermometer is placed in axillary area;
Rectal, which measures the temperature in the rectum or basal temperature;
Oral or mouth temperature measurement

It should be remembered that different areas human bodies have different temperatures. And if the temperature in the axillary region is 36.6 °C, then in the mouth it will be about 37 °C, and in the rectum even higher - 37.5 °C.

You can familiarize yourself with detailed thermometry methods.

When to lower the temperature

Elevated body temperature is often a sign of some illness. In this case, at high temperatures, metabolism is activated, activity increases immune system, blood flow and oxygen supply to cells increases, and the processes of restoration of damaged tissues are accelerated. Thus, high body temperature is defensive reaction of the human body, and it is not necessary to reduce the temperature to 38.5 ° C if the general condition is satisfactory.

When to lower the temperature:

When a rise in temperature is accompanied by a significant deterioration in condition;
When an increase in body temperature is accompanied by chills or obvious coldness of the extremities;
At body temperature above 39 °C;
When there is a threat of seizures;
In weakened or exhausted patients and in the presence of severe concomitant diseases

What to do if you have a low body temperature

If low temperature body is associated with hypothermia, you need to warm up, take hot bath, have a drink hot tea, lie down and cover yourself with a warm blanket. In the case when the body temperature is constantly lowered, you first need to find out the reason. It may be associated with intoxication, overwork, starvation, prolonged stressful situation, a general decrease vitality. If the cause of persistent hypothermia is caused by a lack of thyroid hormones, then you should contact an endocrinologist to prescribe hormone replacement therapy.

In conclusion

Normal human body temperature ranges from 35.5 to 37.4 °C. Elevated temperature is most often associated with infectious diseases. Low temperature - with decreased thyroid function. A high temperature during infection is a protective reaction of the body, and antipyretics should be taken only for direct indications.

Many people consider increased or decreased body temperature a symptom of illness. But it is not the same for all people; some deviations from the norm are possible. Different methods measurements can give different results. What temperature is considered normal and where to measure it.

What temperature is normal

Perhaps the main thing medical fact, which is known to everyone since the very small age, is that the normal temperature of a healthy person should be 36.6 °C. Our body is very complex mechanism, which even modern science I haven't fully studied it yet. The symptoms of many diseases are very similar to each other, many of them are even almost invisible. But measuring temperature can be done easily and quickly. This leads to the fact that many people consider an increase in body temperature to be the most important symptom, and it is by this that they determine whether they are sick or not. In such fun organizations as the army, this is very widely used by the authorities lower level– if a person does not have a fever, then he is healthy and can perform all his duties, for example, walking in formation in the cold. For most schoolchildren, a thermometer becomes a good way to skip classes - when you don’t want to go to school, you just need to show your mother that your body has become one degree hotter.

Where does a person have a temperature of 37

But not everything is so simple with our body. Do you think that right now you have exactly these cherished 36.6 °C? Yeah, wait. Even if your body has indicators as close as possible to the average, then even then its temperature is different places different. So your armpit temperature should be 36.5 °C, one tenth lower than the norm you know. And if you put a thermometer in your mouth, as you often saw in Hollywood films of the last century, it should show that an absolutely healthy person has a temperature of 37 degrees. And that's absolutely normal.

And if you measure your temperature rectally, like a baby, you will already see 37.5 ° C, which will cause concern for some, although this is an absolutely normal temperature. I hope that schoolchildren like myself are not reading this, otherwise they will be able to make their parents nervous in a simple way by measuring their temperature in this way in order to stay home after the weekend.

What is considered normal

Yes, even in different armpits, the temperature will be different. On the left, closer to the heart, it will be 0.1-0.3°C higher. By the way, if you conduct such an experiment, and your indicators are different, greater than these numbers, then this is already a reason to go to the doctor - on the side where the temperature is higher, the inflammatory process may have begun. If we take the maximum temperature difference, then in certain moments, for example, after intense physical activity, she is in different parts body such as muscles and internal organs, can differ by up to ten degrees! But don't be alarmed, you are unlikely to be able to detect such a difference. To measure it in such places, you need to have special equipment, and not a regular mercury or electronic thermometer.

Yes and in different times day, your temperature will fluctuate within tenths of a degree, depending on work and food intake. In the morning it will be slightly lower, and by the end of the day it will rise. And with age, she also fluctuates. Children are usually “warmer” than older people. But all these fluctuations, in a healthy person, do not exceed the limits of one degree. You probably want to ask what temperature is normal for a healthy person. I answer, the norm is the heat of your body, which is in the range of 36.3–36.8 °C. At certain moments it can reach from 35.5 to 37.4 °C, but for a short time, after which it should return to normal limits.

I wish you that your temperature always remains in them.

In the distant ancient times and medieval times The temperature was determined simply - by placing a hand on the patient’s forehead, they exclaimed: “You have a fever!” Oddly enough, measurement in the current way (using a mercury thermometer) began relatively recently, in the mid-19th century.

Now it seems completely natural that if you feel unwell, chills, or, conversely, fever, the first thing you need to do is look for a thermometer in the house to measure the temperature, which is considered to be an important indicator of an approaching illness.

“I have a temperature”, “Do you have a temperature?”, omitting the definition (what kind), everyone already understands that it is elevated, that is, in order not to say many words, they use one thing, implying the body’s reaction to the influence unfavorable factors. Doctors add the word “low-grade, febrile”, call it fever, but in any case mean its deviation from normal values and, as a rule, upward.

Deviation options

A person does not notice his normal body temperature. The endocrine and nervous systems are involved in thermoregulation and maintain it at a certain level. If something is wrong in the body, the thermometer crosses the red number of 37°C, forcing you to be wary and find out the reason for what happened. But what is the temperature and where is its normal range? So, they distinguish:

The temperature is normal– this is a difference of approximately 1°C on a mercury thermometer located in a home medicine cabinet ( from 36 to 37°, if the measurement was made in the armpit). Meanwhile, sometimes under the influence physiological processes or depending on the time of day, this interval may expand (35.6 – 37.3°), but at the same time not give cause for concern;
Low-grade fever, which is characterized by an increase in the indicator up to 38 degrees, such values usually indicate that an infectious agent has entered the body and caused immunological reaction, that is, the human body reacted and began active struggle. How to bring the temperature down to 38° C (even to 38.5) is usually not a question, because reducing it can suppress natural immunity and the disease will drag on. The only exceptions are certain circumstances (history of convulsions during fever in the child, presence of cardiovascular pathology, liver and kidney diseases);

Febrile fever - up to 39 degrees and above, which, depending on the value of the indicator, is divided into pyretic(39-40°) and hyperpyretic(above 41°C) In such cases, you can, of course, try to bring down the temperature with home remedies, but only to alleviate suffering, to give the person a rest, but not to solve all the problems. At a temperature of 39 degrees, it is no longer necessary to call the local doctor, but an ambulance team. As for very high temperatures (close to 40-42°C), then probably every adult understands how dangerous this is.

It should be noted that the temperature of the skin in contact and interacting with environment, and at the same time adapting to it, is somewhat lower than inside the body. This difference in other cases can reach 10°, but not all organs have direct access, so you have to take their word for it.

Table: normal indicators human body temperature

Meanwhile, this feature must be taken into account when measuring body temperature at various points:

The most common measurement site in adults is axillary area, expected rate – 36.6° does not always coincide with real values, however, as mentioned above, deviations in one direction or another by a few tenths of a degree should not cause concern;
For seriously ill bedridden people, the most accessible place for thermometry is oral cavity, there the indicators approach or slightly exceed 37°C;
The mother most often takes the baby's temperature in the rectum, holding it tightly with your buttocks mercury thermometer. She is probably already aware that at this point the normal temperature will be approximately 37.5°C. The same indicators can be expected normally when measuring temperature in other “warm” places ( ear and vagina).

Circadian rhythms, gender, age and other circumstances

People have long noticed that at different times of the day the body temperature changes, the most high performance are observed in the evening, while somewhere between 5 and 7 am they can barely reach 36°C. These are physiological daily fluctuations associated with the activity of the body, so a temperature of 35.8 degrees in the early morning, exactly like 37.2 after an evening run, should not be perceived as something unusual.

Body temperature (meaning measured in axillary area) changes with age and in minor degree depends on gender. Beyond the infant age, children restore their temperature in different ways:

Girls complete the process by the age of 13-14;
Boys are “pushing” until they reach adulthood.

In adult women this indicator on average 0.6° higher than their male peers.

In addition, everyone knows that the temperature in children rises more often and shows higher numbers, and children tolerate it better. The child has a temperature of 38 and above, but he runs and jumps like a healthy person. The body of elderly people and the elderly, due to decreased immunity and disruption of thermoregulation processes (due to age and various chronic diseases), is no longer able to respond so quickly to various factors. Therefore, other viral infections can occur against the background of normal body temperature.

The cause of a short-term increase in temperature may be:

A state of intense excitement;
Intense mental and physical activity;
Nightmares.

The temperature decreases with prolonged exposure to the cold. We have all ever been frozen for a short time (we didn’t turn on the heating, there was no bus for a long time, etc.), in this case it is not difficult to increase the temperature at home: hot tea, warm room- and everything is fine. The chill quickly passes, the cheeks turn pink, the arms and legs become warm.

Newborns and infants are a special category of citizens

In a newborn baby, the thermoregulation system, like other vital processes, is imperfect, the baby is just beginning to adapt to new conditions, therefore, being in a heated room and being warmly dressed, he will give a temperature of 37.4°C, which will correspond to its norm for existing conditions, which, however, should be changed. Also, the baby will quickly cool down if left naked. That is why the question of how to dress a baby is constantly on the agenda of a young mother.

It is easy for a child to become overheated and overcooled, it does not yet have established thermoregulation mechanisms. However, of these two extremes, perhaps high temperature is more dangerous for him than hypothermia, After all, the child’s heat transfer noticeably slows down, while the exchange is in full swing.

TV shows periodically show stories about leaving newborn children in the cold air (unfortunately, there are such “woe-mothers” who try to get rid of unnecessary “cargo” in any way). It would seem that there is so much of it, but, clinging to life, the baby spends not a single hour in the cold, despite everything, it survives and later grows healthy, only, unfortunately, in an orphanage. But in an excessively warm room, infants feel much worse, so the desire of parents to wrap up the child, since he is small and defenseless, is not always justified.

A newborn and infant are more comfortable at 18 – 22 degrees, than in temperature conditions approaching human body temperature. Being in such a “tropical” climate, the child’s body has no choice but to increase its own temperature.

Temperature high and low

High temperature is a sign of a very wide range of diseases, which are simply not possible to list, since one would have to remember all the known pathological conditions. Most often, body temperature rises due to infectious and inflammatory processes or poisoning, causing the body to resist:

Produce antibodies to a foreign substrate;
Rebuild the thermoregulation mechanism in order to create unfavorable conditions for pathogenic microorganisms that actively multiply, for example, in the intestines during poisoning with poor-quality products.

High temperature in such cases is considered as defensive reaction organism, which follows its initiative.

In addition, due to certain circumstances, often quite serious, the body itself lowers the temperature level, for example, Low body temperature is observed when:

Reduced temperature can also be observed:

Asthenics who are underweight;
In patients debilitated by disease or diet;
As a result of overwork;
When blood sugar decreases (prolonged fasting or use of insulin in an inadequate dose);
Due to insufficient income ascorbic acid(vitamin C) into the body;
With vegetative-vascular dystonia (especially in a state of crisis);
For intoxication (acute and chronic).

However, it happens that a person finds himself in unusual conditions due to certain life situations, When body temperature is raised or lowered by the environment. We will return to this towards the end of the story.

More about rising temperatures

The body often copes with elevated temperatures on its own, and sometimes we simply don’t notice it.

Most often, the temperature rises when encountering an infection, viral or bacterial:

While relying on the body’s capabilities, it should be borne in mind that a child’s temperature, even not reaching 38°C, can result in the development of seizures, so this for children it can be reduced starting from 38 degrees. Similar actions are provided for adults suffering from heart, liver and kidney diseases.

The thermometer approaching 39 means that measures need to be taken, even if there are no symptoms of infection. In any case, the body will not feel normal in conditions of high temperature: headache, chills, body aches and others signs of temperature will not pass unnoticed. If a temperature of 39 degrees and above is accompanied by symptoms of infection, then it also becomes obvious that the body is “losing its ground”, antibodies stop being synthesized, because they, being protein structures, coagulate (collapse) after 38.5 degrees, in general, important process antibody formation is suspended.

Video: elevated temperature in a child - Doctor Komarovsky

No one is immune from the cold and its manifestations

If there is confidence that the cause of an unacceptable increase in temperature ( above 38.5° in adults, 38°, and sometimes lower in children) is also a respiratory infection, then at home it is not only possible, but also necessary, to reduce it, however, the use of such It is still advisable to avoid the popular aspirin. In case viral infection It, by thinning the blood, can aggravate hemorrhagic manifestations in the respiratory tract (impaired microcirculation, swelling) and further complicate the course of the disease. In addition, aspirin is “not indifferent” to the gastric mucosa and this also needs to be taken into account. Other tablets for fever are now somehow a thing of the past, they have been replaced by mixtures based on paracetamol with vitamin C- both tasty and effective.

As for children, it is problematic to give pills to many of them, especially if the child is small. Aspirin Pediatricians not only do not recommend - they prohibit until the age of 16, others medicines in tablets can cause a huge protest on the part of the baby. Thank God, now such things have been invented for the little ones dosage forms like candles and syrups, active substance which are listed paracetamol or ibuprofen.

In addition to tablets, other remedies are used at home: warm linden or raspberry tea with honey, lubricating the skin with vodka or vinegar, thermal procedures are excluded. At the same time, parents should remember that such favorites among adults folk remedies may not be suitable for a child:

Honey and raspberries are classified as hyperallergenic foods;
Raspberries themselves, in addition to all their advantages, contain natural salicylates, due to which they have an antipyretic effect, therefore, contrary to the recommendations of grandparents, in case of viral infections it is better to refrain from using this tasty and fragrant jam;
The use of alcohol, vodka, and vinegar should be strictly dosed, because these liquids are absorbed through the pores of the delicate skin, and inhalation of vapors may not be harmless if too much occurs.

Video: when paracetamol does not help - Doctor Komarovsky

Hyperthermic syndrome in case of poisoning

Poisoning is also different. Let’s say a person ate “something wrong” and after a while received signs of poisoning: he began to feel sick, vomited, had diarrhea, the temperature rose a little, but the condition did not look threatening. By using activated carbon, diets, chamomile tea, mezima after a couple of days everything was somehow restored, and soon it was completely forgotten. But there is another version of the flow acute poisoning– with development life-threatening syndromes (pain, respiratory failure, circulatory disorders, convulsions, acute renal failure... and hyperthermic syndrome).

In case of poisoning accompanied by toxic damage brain, against the background of respiratory and circulatory disorders leading tissues to oxygen starvation, the hypothalamic zone of the brain is excited, resulting in a significant increase in body temperature. This - hyperthermic syndrome. The thermometer in these situations can reach 42°C, which, of course, requires emergency assistance. Having called an ambulance, loved ones should try to help the patient’s body increase heat transfer in order to lower the temperature somewhat. At home, the range of activities is not wide, fever pills are useless as an antipyretic and are harmful to the stomach, but here’s what you can do:

In winter, open the window to cool the room;
Cover the patient with ice packs (or whatever is in the freezer of your home refrigerator);
Moisten the body with water or quickly evaporating liquids - alcohol, vodka (with caution in children!).

Having completed these simple steps, you are already prehospital stage You can achieve certain successes that may save a person’s life.

Temperature and symptoms

There is a temperature, but there are no symptoms - is this possible?

Some people often take their temperature with or without signs of illness, and just as often wonder why the number 37 becomes commonplace. The reason for this increase may be:

Neuroses and neurosis-like conditions;
Ovulation phase and pregnancy;
The onset of an infectious disease;
Chronic sluggish inflammatory processes.

Of course, a temperature of up to 37° and slightly higher can rise from overheating, excitement, or mental stress, but in such cases a person is usually in no hurry to grab a thermometer, and therefore does not know anything about it.

A temperature of 38°, and even more so 39 degrees, is unlikely to be completely without symptoms, because the fever itself immediately makes itself felt with chills, headache, unpleasant sensations in bones, etc., which an adult can talk about, but will not say small child, he will just cry and be capricious.

A child’s temperature without signs of infection may also be a precursor to it or accompany teething. Previously, pediatricians completely rejected any manifestations of the disease (fever, anxiety, indigestion) during teething, they say, by blaming it on the teeth, you can miss serious pathology. This is, of course, true, but it has long been scientifically proven that the baby experiences pain akin to the sensations during childbirth. In addition, it is unlikely that the baby will like the redness and itching of the gums, and he will remain calm and healthy. Children are nervous, cry, sleep poorly - the body temperature rises, and other symptoms may appear ( loose stool, signs respiratory infection). In such cases you need to call your local doctor so that he can look, listen to the baby and dispel or confirm doubts about another disease.

Symptoms of the disease without fever

In other situations, the opposite picture can be observed: the disease is obvious, there are symptoms, but the thermometer stands at normal levels, rooted to the spot. We will not list all the cases separately; let us consider as an example some of the most common symptoms that often accompany febrile conditions:

How to raise the temperature for the treasured reference?

Careless schoolchildren and students, using the capabilities of the World Wide Web, continue to search for recipes for raising their temperature in order to obtain an acquittal document in case of truancy. How to increase body temperature if there are no signs of illness? Basically, the advice found on the Internet involves artificially creating conditions for illness (cold milk, ice, an open window in winter and God knows what else...), but you can get so sick that you will regret it later.

Students of the last century rubbed their armpits with irritating substances, calling local inflammation– it’s unpleasant, but it doesn’t hurt in other places (walk – I don’t want to). But the doctor, suspecting deception, can measure the temperature at other points or ask to show the axillary area? And not everyone can do this.

And one more thing, also from the last century: there was this toothpaste“Pomorin”, so they mixed it with water and drank it. The temperature may have increased, but repeated vomiting was ensured, so no one used this method more than once. And we don't recommend it. In addition, the pasta has long disappeared from store shelves.

The temperature can be increased by filling the bath hot water, after running around the house, overheating in the sun on a hot day, but then you need to read the next section about hyperthermia again (what it is and what it leads to) and decide whether it’s worth risking your health for the sake of some extra day of rest. And rest may be questionable.

Hyper- and hypothermic states

It was said above that deviations in body temperature from the norm can be caused by environmental conditions. Since such conditions can be dangerous, we will dwell on this in more detail.

A decrease in body temperature is designated by the concept "hypothermia", and to increase, accordingly, the word is used "hyperthermia", and we're talking about not about some tenths of a unit of measurement, but about several degrees, which, moving in one direction or another, can significantly disrupt all vital processes and lead the body to death.

Sun, air and water are not always the best friends

Against the backdrop of the influence of external factors that carry heat, a person’s body temperature can rise unacceptably, causing various changes in organs and systems, thereby disrupting their functional abilities. Warmth in human body is formed as a result of continuous metabolic processes and the functioning of the muscular system - why in a healthy person the temperature drops during sleep (muscles at rest), and in a patient it increases due to the acceleration of metabolism. The body constantly releases the accumulated heat into external environment(sweating, breathing, etc.) and thus maintains a balance between production and output.

Temperature rise air environment up to 25 - 30 degrees increases heat transfer, but reduces its formation. However, heat transfer decreases in proportion to the increase in “degree” on the street or in a hot room - at a temperature of 34.4° it approaches 0, but is still shaky due to the evaporation of sweat. Particularly sensitive to increases in ambient temperature children's body, because his heat transfer processes are still poorly developed, and his metabolism is high.

If you engage in vigorous physical activity in hot weather, drink alcoholic beverages, stay under the scorching sun for a long time, and even with high humidity (and if all together?), then heat transfer can stop altogether: at 37 degrees and above, the human body stops giving off excess heat, using it for its own heating.

At first, the body desperately tries to increase heat transfer for which:

Dilates blood vessels;
Increases heart rate (tachycardia) and respiratory movements to ensure sufficient ventilation and oxygen supply to tissues;
Increases sweat secretion.

Meanwhile, remaining in conditions elevated temperature, the body cannot bear for long additional load: “hail sweat” leads to an imbalance of water and electrolyte balance, and this is fraught with loss of fluid from the cells, the development of hypovolemia and a fall blood pressure. Increased metabolism in the brain does not at all increase its blood supply, therefore cerebral structures experience oxygen starvation: a person loses consciousness and convulsions appear. Clinical manifestations depend on how long a person spent in an unfavorable climate and how much his body reacted:

Treatment depends on the degree of overheating: minor overheating does not require hospitalization; it is enough to place the patient in a cool place and give him cool water to drink. In other cases, at home, you also need to place the patient in a cool room, wrap him in a damp, cold sheet and call an ambulance medical care, because you can bring down the temperature yourself with tablets and powders from home first aid kit It won't work anymore.

A special problem of the Far North and Siberia

It is possible to get hypothermia in all climate zones, but, of course, there is a risk of feeling negative impact The cold in northern latitudes is still higher. The overall effect of cold air on the body leads to hypothermia and a decrease in body temperature to 35 degrees and below. Strong wind, high humidity significantly aggravate the situation, and then A person can freeze to death at a seemingly not-so-low temperature (from -4 to +10 degrees). How and how hypothermia will end depends on the victim’s body, the time of exposure, the environment and the thermometer reading.

Hypothermia, leading to death, occurs at 0°C for 10-12 hours; in water this process accelerates, therefore, if a person falls through the ice, he dies within 5-10 minutes. Especially, such nuances should be kept in mind by people performing heavy physical work in the cold or for those who like to warm themselves up with alcoholic drinks– they freeze faster and don’t feel it themselves.

The body’s struggle goes through 2 phases:

First, all of its own mechanisms are stimulated: the body tries to actively produce heat without releasing it to the external environment.
Intensive work on thermoregulation ultimately leads to the depletion of energy reserves and the fading of the body's functional abilities.

At the first stage, changes occur in the structures of the central nervous system:

Inhibition in the cortex cerebral hemispheres and the occurrence of pathological excitation in the subcortex (impaired consciousness, delirium, convulsions);
The process involves the sympathetic-adrenal system, which responds to the effects of cold by producing catecholamines, increasing blood sugar levels, increasing cardiac output, spasm in the microvasculature;
The body's compensatory capabilities soon dry up, tissues experience oxygen starvation, and the function of the central nervous system is disrupted;
Thermoregulatory abilities are inhibited, body temperature drops.

At the second stage:

Body temperature progressively decreases;
Cardiac and respiratory activity is impaired;
Other organs and systems of the body refuse to work.

Breathing stops when body temperature drops to 20 - 15 degrees, however, the heart continues to contract for several minutes. The dying process at low temperatures takes longer than at other temperatures pathological conditions, which in other cases makes it possible to carry out successful resuscitation in a more late dates, that is, hypothermia conditions add chances to bring a person back to life in 30 minutes or even an hour.

Help with hypothermia

With general cooling, 3 degrees of severity are also distinguished, but regardless of them, the patient must be taken to a hospital to provide qualified assistance. Raising body temperature outside the hospital is very problematic, because it is not only an indicator of the degree of freezing, but also the cause of all disorders and disorders in the body. The best thing that can be done for the patient is to prevent further exposure to cold:

Bring the patient into a warm room;
Remove wet clothes;
Wrap yourself in a warm blanket or blanket (whatever you have on hand);
Under no circumstances should you use any traditional methods such as rubbing with snow, alcohol, wool, etc.;
Call an ambulance.

It should be noted that when cold, a person may lose the ability to adequately think and assess the situation, so there is no need to react particularly to refusal of hospitalization and treatment. Home conditions for similar condition(critical decrease in body temperature) are absolutely not suitable.

In general, body temperature is an indicator that reflects the functioning of the entire organism, and a change in it is almost always a sign of pathology, therefore both an increase and a decrease require control and deliberate actions. Quickly lowering the temperature or raising it for some purpose is perhaps not a difficult task, but one must take into account how justified such artificial regulation is and what consequences this may have.

Video: fever - help with medications, Dr. Komarovsky

Video: fever - help without drugs, Dr. Komarovsky

Everyone knows what “thirty-six and six” means. This is generally considered to be the normal human temperature. Also, everyone knows that if the thermometer reading is higher or lower than this value, then this is a sign possible problems with health. But the question of how different this reading should be from 36.6 °C in order to consult a doctor often causes difficulty. Let's look at what temperatures are considered normal, low and high by modern medicine.

The number 36.6 was obtained at the end of the 19th century as the average statistical result of measurements in the armpit of large number people. You can focus on “36.6”, but the difference is a few tenths of a degree not an indicator of abnormality.

According to doctors, when determining the normal thermal state of the human body, attention should be paid to the following main factors:

age;
measurement method;
daily and seasonal biorhythms;
current intensity physical activity or mental activity.

Upper limits Normal values when measured under the armpit depending on age are given in the following table.

In addition, a woman's body is usually 0.5 °C warmer than a man's.

It should also be taken into account measurement method. Compared to the thermometer reading under the arm, the value measured in the mouth is 0.5 °C higher; and in the ear, vagina or anus- approximately 1.0 °C.

In a healthy person, daily fluctuations are also normal: in the evening the human body is several tenths of a degree colder than in the morning.

It is normal to slightly exceed 36.6 °C during intense physical or mental activity, stress, fear, excessive positive emotions, or during sex.

Temperatures less than 35.0 °C are considered low. A person experiences weakness and malaise, drowsiness and fatigue.

The most common cause is hypothermia, hypothermia in cold weather or in the water. In this case tremors appear in the body and numbness of the extremities, especially the fingers and toes. To normalize the body’s condition during hypothermia, it is enough warm clothes and hot drinks.

One more common reason- it's the flu or a cold. Strong body usually fights them by producing heat, thereby “burning out” the infection and removing it through sweat. But if the immune system is reduced and the body is weakened and does not have the strength to fight the infection, then a decrease in body temperature is noted. It is important not to waste time on self-medication, but to consult a doctor.

There may also be other causes of decreased body temperature:

exacerbation of chronic diseases;
problems in hormonal sphere, decreased functionality of the thyroid gland, problems with the adrenal glands;
abuse of drugs and dietary supplements;
chronic fatigue;
exhaustion of the body or lack of vitamins;
large blood loss;
radiation sickness;
HIV infection.

If your temperature drops during pregnancy and breastfeeding, you should immediately visit a doctor.

Hyperthermia and fever

Depending on the cause of the high temperature, modern medicine highlights hyperthermia and fever.

Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia is overheating of the body due to excess external heat or poor heat exchange with the environment. The body reacts by dilating blood vessels, profuse sweating and others physiological mechanisms thermoregulation.

If the causes of hyperthermia are not eliminated, then heating the body to 42 °C can lead to heatstroke, and in the case of people with cardiovascular diseases, even death.

Fever

Fever (in Latin “febris”) is an increase in temperature, which is the body’s protective reaction to pathogenic effect. Common reasons are:

viral infections;
inflammatory processes;
tissue and joint injuries;
diseases of the cardiovascular, circulatory or endocrine systems;
weakened immune system;
allergy.

In young children, the temperature often rises during teething.

Medical classification high temperature is presented in the table.

Temperature dynamics are monitored using temperature curves.

Temperature curves

Graphs of temperature versus time are called temperature curves. They are playing important role for diagnosis and prognosis. By horizontal axis Time values are displayed, and temperature values are displayed vertically. Classification of temperature curves is given in the table.

Type of fever	Latin name	Dynamics of the temperature curve
Constant	Febris continua	Fluctuations in pyretic or febrile temperature body in the range of 1 °C.
Laxative (remitting)	Febris remittens	Daily fluctuations are more than 2 °C.
Intermittent (intermittent)	Febris intermittens	Cycles of a sharp rise to pyretic values and a rapid decline to normal.
Exhaustive (hectic)	Febris hectica	Daily fluctuations are more than 3 °C, that is, higher than with remitting fever. Rapid decline to normal and subnormal values.
Returnable	Febris recurrent	Rapid growth, then lasts for several days and decreases to normal. After some time, a new cycle.
wavy	Febris undulans	Unlike relapsing fever, it gradually increases and decreases.
Perverted	Febris in versa	Evening temperatures are lower than morning temperatures.
Incorrect		The most common type of fever. Chaotic dynamics.

If you are abroad, keep in mind that in the USA, Canada and a number of other countries they use degrees Fahrenheit (°F) rather than Celsius (°C). A value of 36.6 °C corresponds to 98 °F; 0 °C (melting ice) - 32 °F; 100°C (water boiling) - 212°F.

One of the key indicators that reflects the relationship between the formation of heat due to metabolic processes in the body and its release from the surface of the skin, through the lungs or excreted decay products. In order to correctly evaluate the information obtained, many factors should be taken into account - when, to whom, in what way and under what conditions the measurement was made. Considering the totality of the facts obtained, we can answer the question of whether a temperature of 37 °C is considered normal or not.

How to use a thermometer correctly

In order to obtain the most reliable information, you should consider some features:

A tool used for diagnostics. The most plausible information is obtained from measurements with mercury devices. Infrared and digital assistants, widely advertised to consumers, have large measurement errors or are unjustifiably high cost. If the obtained values fluctuate around 37 °C, this is a normal temperature for most practical cases.
Where did they put the thermometer? Mercury meters can be used to obtain temperature readings from the armpit, orally, or from the rectum. Each of these methods has its own diagnostic plugin. For example, with the axillary method, the typical range is between 36.3 and 36.9 °C. If the thermometer was in the patient’s mouth, then the resulting temperature of 37 °C is normal, as it corresponds to the standard values of 36.8-37.3 °C. For the rectal method, the range of 37.3-37.7 °C is considered classic.

When, to whom and under what conditions it was measured. It is reliably known that in the evening hours the readings on the thermometer can increase by 1 °C within normal limits. The same situation can occur after intense physical activity, visiting the bath, sauna and immediately after eating. And when choosing the right or left armpit, the difference in the data obtained can reach 0.3 °C. In children, in effect physiological characteristics development, a rise in temperature may be observed that is not associated with diseases: after crying or due to overheating due to too warm clothes.

How not to take your temperature

We are so accustomed to this procedure that we do it automatically. However, it is worth asking yourself a question when you see the obtained values of 37 °C: is this a normal temperature, is there a measurement error here?

It is important to remember that all manipulations are performed with a person in calm state. If the baby just ran, jumped or did other active actions, then before you put the thermometer in your bosom, you should switch it to quiet entertainment and wait at least half an hour. The same rule applies if a person has just eaten food, water treatments or came from a walk.

Mercury thermometers require some skill to use. But the main problem for parents is the need to keep the child calm for 8 minutes, which is required for a qualitative assessment of the child’s well-being. If you measure less, you get unreliable values.

Don't rely only on your tactile sensations. IN lately among the children of different ages Cases of white fever are common. They are cold to the touch, but when recorded by instruments, shockingly high values are observed. This effect occurs due to vascular spasms, which must be eliminated in as soon as possible.

What pathologies may be hidden behind a slight increase in temperature?

Correctly diagnose the cause low-grade fever the human body is a difficult task for doctors of different profiles and qualifications. A slight increase in mercury may indicate large quantities deviations in normal functioning various organs and human systems:

sluggish and chronic diseases upper and lower respiratory tract - acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and others;
infections genitourinary system- cystitis, pyelonephritis;
imbalance of the hormonal system;
hidden infections, for example, this is how pathogenic streptococcus can manifest itself;
accession bacterial infection in children a few days after the high temperature subsides.

For such situations, an increase in a person’s temperature to 37 °C is normal phenomenon? Of course not.

Why does the baby have 37 on the thermometer?

In the absence of noticeable signs of disease progression of various etiologies and visible deviations in the test results, do not panic if your child’s thermometer shows a value of 37.2 °C. For peace of mind, you should check the values over time: if the increase was a one-time increase, then there is nothing to worry about. Temperature 37 °C in a child - normal reaction organism to the attacking external environment. If knowledge is often observed over a long period of time, this is a reason to consult a doctor, since inflammatory processes can develop in the human body.

Overheating is a common cause of fever in infants

What if the child is one month old and has a temperature of 37? Is this normal or not? In the first month of a baby’s life, he is under the close attention of parents, doctors and caring relatives. Overprotection manifests itself in excessive wrapping up inappropriate for the weather, poor ventilation due to possible drafts. And since the thermoregulation function of infants is imperfect, it is quite natural for the numbers to increase. To correct the situation, it is enough to remove excess clothing and cool the room by ventilating it without a child in it.

And we have teeth!

One more possible reason Deviation of temperature from the norm in children of the first years of life is teething. In this case, a temperature of 37 is normal. Children cope with teething differently. For some it’s easy and relaxed, while for others you’ll have to be patient a little. Often, the growth of teeth in young children is accompanied by increased salivation, which indirectly can help parents understand the ongoing changes in their child’s condition.

Asymptomatic causes of fever

There are several conditions of the human body that can be accompanied by slight increase values on the thermometer:

The weakening of the immune system and, as a result, the acceleration of metabolic processes to combat various toxins manifests itself in the form of an increase in degrees.
Upcoming motherhood. The body of the expectant mother can respond to the changes occurring by increasing the thermometer values, so a temperature of 37 °C during pregnancy is normal.

Violation of thermoregulatory function in the brain due to depressive state.
Overheating of the body due to prolonged exposure to the sun or wearing clothes that are inappropriate for the season, which very often happens in infants.

When to sound the alarm

Today, experts admit that for some people, exceeding the values on the thermometer is the norm, provided there are no other symptoms and normal tests. But there are situations when a slight deviation from the norm is a reason to contact a specialist and conduct a series of studies.

Firstly, if the child has a fever for more than 3 days and this fact is accompanied by other symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, pale skin and others.

Secondly, if the increase is repeated during the course of a viral infection. Most often, this indicates the addition of a bacterial infection.

Thirdly, stable values of 37 °C are regularly recorded for two weeks, provided that the thermometer is in good working order and the measurement rules are followed.

Fourthly, it is worth closely monitoring the dynamics of measurements if a child is injured, especially carefully monitoring indicators for head impacts.

Thus, the readings on the thermometer must be considered together with general condition person and the events preceding the measurement. Overall single slight increase fever without any accompanying symptoms does not require intervention from health care workers.