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Hypothermia - Causes, Symptoms, Health Insurance Coverage

Benefits

​What Is Hypothermia?


When your body drastically loses heat in comparison to producing it, this medical condition is known as Hypothermia. A normal body temperature of humans should be around 37 C or 98.6 F. The person suffering from hypothermia will have a low body temperature that will be below 35 C or 95 F. This is a deadly condition as your body organs like heart, nervous system, etc. only work at a certain temperature. The drop in the body temperature can lead to failure of your respiratory system and heart, which can be deadly. This medical condition is mainly caused when the human body is exposed to extremely cold weather. 

Symptoms


Signs and symptoms of Hypothermia are mentioned below:


  • Weak pulse
  • Mumbling 
  • Loss of consciousness 
  • Slow breathing 
  • Shivering
  • Memory loss 
  • Cold, bright red skin (common in infants)
  • Low energy
  • Lack of coordination

    • The above-mentioned symptoms need immediate attention. Make sure you warm yourselves and then consult your doctor immediately. 

    ​Diagnosis

    Your doctor will diagnose hypothermia based on the symptoms. However, to check the severity of this medical condition, your doctor will check your body temperature with the help of a specialized thermometer. This thermometer will help your doctor in understanding the severity of hypothermia. 

  • Mild hypothermia: 90-95 F
  • Moderate hypothermia: 82-90 F
  • Severe hypothermia: Lower than 82 F

    • Treatment


    A person suffering from hypothermia needs immediate medical attention. If medical care is not available, then you should: 

  • Remove all wet clothes.
  • Cover yourself with blankets and wear new clothes. 
  • Move to a warmer place.
  • Drink hot beverage. Don’t drink caffeine or alcohol as it fastens heat loss. 

    • The treatment of hypothermia depends on the severity of this medical condition. Given below are some of the treatment that can help in raising the body temperature of the affected person: 

  • Passive Rewarming: This treatment is highly beneficial if a person is suffering from mild hypothermia. Warm drinks and heated blankets are enough.
  • Blood Rewarming: In this type of treatment, blood is drawn from the patient’s body. This blood is warmed and recirculated in the body. Haemodialysis is commonly used to warm blood. 
  • Warm Intravenous Fluids: In this treatment warm solution of saltwater is inserted inside the veins of the affected person as it helps warm the blood.
  • Airway Rewarming: A humidified oxygen is used in this treatment. This oxygen is used to warm the airways, which eventually increases the temperature of the body.
  • Irrigation: With the help of catheters, a warm solution of saltwater is used to warm areas of the body like an abdominal cavity (peritoneal cavity) or the lungs (pleura). 

    • ​Health Insurance


    Suffering from health issues is not only physically taxing but can also drain you financially. Therefore, it is advised to buy health insurance​ policy which will provide financial coverage that can take care of medical expenses and hospitalization bills. It takes care of pre and post hospitalization bills. If you buy health insurance, you will not only get the cashless treatment from a network hospital where the bill is directly settled by your insurance provider with the hospital but will also enjoy tax benefits under section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961. Make sure to know your policy details and covers before purchasing a health insurance policy.