Hypothermia


Abnormally low body temperature. Someone who falls asleep in a cold temperature may become hypothermic, and the condition can be fatal. Hypothermia is intentionally produced to slow the metabolism during some types of surgery. Severe hypothermia can be fatal. Those with mild or moderate hypothermia (are alert and conscious, and have not lost the shivering reflex) will usually simply require removing them from the cold environment and providing them with additional insulation. Treatment of severe hypothermia involves slow heating of the body using blankets or other ways of increasing body warmth. Body temperature should increase by no more than a couple of degrees per hour.

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    Underactivity of the thyroid gland at birth, resulting in growth retardation, developmental delay and other abnormal features. Can be due to deficiency of iodine in the mother’s diet during pregnancy. The condition is detected today by newborn thyroid screening. Known also as cretinism.

  • Hypothyroidism, infantile

    Underactivity of the thyroid gland that starts after birth in infancy or early childhood, as manifested by delays in growth and development, and by myxedema (a dry, waxy type of swelling, often including swollen lips and nose). Treatment involves use of thyroid hormone medication. Also known as Brissaud infantilism and infantile myxedema.

  • Hypotonia

    Decreased muscle tone and strength that results in floppiness. Hypotonia is a common finding with cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders. Untreated hypotonia can lead to hip dislocation and other problems. Treatment is via physical therapy. In some cases, braces may be needed to permit a full range of movement in patients with hypotonia.

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    A solution that contains fewer dissolved particles (such as salt and other electrolytes) than is found in normal cells and blood. Hypotonic solutions are commonly used to give fluids intravenously to hospitalized patients in order to treat or avoid dehydration.

  • Hypoventilation

    The state in which a reduced amount of air enters the alveoli in the lungs, resulting in decreased levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Hypoventilation can be due to breathing that is too shallow (hypopnea) or too slow (bradypnea), or to diminished lung function. The opposite of hypoventilation is […]


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