Health Explainer: Extreme Cold EMER_26347330 01

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center
Frostbite, hypothermia and other ways bodies react to cold]

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[Text on screen: Jennah Morgan, MD
Emergency Medicine Physician
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center]

Jennah Morgan, MD: Cold is, it impacts the human body in a negative way if you get too cold. So naturally, we have mechanisms to address the cold, like our blood vessels get narrower at our extremities. We shiver. 

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We have natural behavior and tendency to wear clothes, to avoid extreme cold. There are people who are more vulnerable, who are unable to do that, but we have ways to protect ourselves from the cold. But in the event that we're unable to protect ourselves from the cold, in a worst case scenario, it can be fatal, or it can cause a severe impact to our organs. Some common cold weather-related injuries are just fatigue, lethargy. You can have what we call frostbite, which is actual burn to the tissue that has been exposed to cold. You can, in worst case scenarios, have a cardiac arrest. Your heart will stop.

Hypothermia, there are a few categories. There's mild hypothermia, moderate hypothermia, and severe hypothermia. With mild hypothermia, you'll have intense freezing, shivering. You might have a decrease in activity. When you get into moderate and severe ranges, you'll have confusion, decreased responsiveness, inability to participate in natural things, like taking off clothes to put on warmer clothes, or even to move to a warmer place.

Some signs and symptoms of frostbite is you can have some skin changes that manifest as changes in color and texture of your skin. You will also have sort of like pins and prickly feeling, but eventually once the frostbite sets in, you will have decreased sensation to that area. When someone is experiencing hypothermia, there are three stages. There's mild, moderate, and severe. For cases of mild hypothermia, attempt rewarming. Immediately get to a warmer area. In the case where someone has on wet clothes, move them to a warmer area and do not attempt to remove wet clothes until they're in a warmer area.

Another common mistake, is people will try to warm the extremities before warming the center of the body. And so, really focus on the center of the body. Apply warm packs or hot water packs to your chest, your armpits, your back. And that way, when circulation comes back to the core, it hits the warmest spots. Now, with moderate and severe hypothermia, when you're seeing the fatigue, the lethargy, or just unresponsiveness and confusion, seek medical attention immediately. Don't hesitate. Call the ambulance, call your doctor.

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And get to an emergency room as soon as you can.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center
For more information, visit: health.osu.edu]

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