Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Hypothermia.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- Symptoms of hypothermia?
Why: e.g. mild hypothermia (32-35 degrees Celsius) causes shivering and initially a feeling of intense cold. As the core temperature falls, severe hypothermia (below 32 degrees Celsius) initially causes impairment of judgement (including awareness of cold) and later leads to altered consciousness and coma. Death follows, usually from ventricular fibrillation (fatal heart arrhythmia).
- Have you been exposed to extreme cold weather?
Why: e.g. Hypothermia is a prominent cause of death in climbers, skiers, Artic and Antarctic travelers and in wartime. Wet, cold conditions and wind chill, physical exhaustion and inadequate clothing are common contributory factors.
- Have you been exposed to extreme cold water?
Why: e.g. dangerous hypothermia can develop after several hours immersion at temperatures of 15-20 degrees Celsius. Below 12 degrees Celsius the person's arms and legs become numb and paralysed and take some hours to recover after the person is rescued.
- Age of the person?
Why: e.g. Hypothermia is commonly seen in the elderly, the elderly have a diminished ability to feel cold and often a decrease in the insulating fat layer. Infants and newborns become hypothermic very rapidly at normal room temperature because of their relatively large surface area and lack of subcutaneous fat.
- Past medical history?
Why: e.g. intestinal obstruction, cholera, peritonitis, hypothyroidism, Addison's disease, hypopituitarism, hypoglycemia, diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa, congestive cardiac failure, renal failure, stroke, epidural haematoma, subdural haematoma, thiamine deficiency and Menke's disease may be associated with hypothyroidism.
- Medications?
Why: e.g. certain anti-depressants and tranquilisers such as phenothiazines may cause a mild temperature drop but rarely cause severe hypothermia.
- Alcohol history?
Why: e.g. alcoholic intoxication may cause hypothermia.
- Illicit drug use?
Why: e.g. opium poisoning may cause hypothermia.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Severe vomiting or diarrhea?
Why: may induce dehydration and electrolyte disturbances which will induce hypothermia. Disorders that may induce severe vomiting or diarrhea may include intestinal obstruction, cholera and peritonitis.
- Symptoms of hypothyroidism?
Why: e.g. lethargy, weight gain, constipation, puffiness of face and eyes, hair loss, dry skin.
- Symptoms of anorexia nervosa?
Why: e.g. obsessive pursuit of thinness through dieting, extreme weight loss, disturbance of body image, intense fear of becoming fat, loss of menstrual periods.
» Next page:
Types of Hypothermia
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