While much of the country is dealing with cold temperatures and unusual snowfall in areas that rarely if ever see accumulation, people will have to watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite, especially in regions that don’t see temperatures dropping into the teens or even single digits.
Hypothermia
According to the Mayo Clinic, hypothermia is when the body temperature is lower than 95 degrees. It can kill if not treated. It occurs when a person cannot produce heat faster than they are losing it. Eventually, the body will use all of the stored energy reducing your temperature, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because hypothermia affects the brain, a person may not realize they are getting dangerously cold or be able to do anything about it.
Symptoms of hypothermia include:
- Shivering
- Exhaustion
- Slurred speech or mumbling
- Slow, shallow breathing
- Weak pulse
- Clumsiness
- Drowsiness or low-energy
- Confusion, memory loss
- Loss of consciousness
For infants you may see them bright red but with cold skin and low energy.
Risk factors
The CDC said several factors put people at risk of developing hypothermia including older adults who have inadequate amounts of food, clothing or heat; babies sleeping in cold rooms; people spending a lot of time outside including homeless, hikers and hunters; and people who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.
Treatment
You should get the person out of the cold if you can. But do it gently. If you can’t get indoors, then protect them from the wind, focusing on their head and neck. You also should lay a blanket under them for insulation, the Mayo Clinic said.
Then, you should remove their wet clothing, replacing it with warm, dry clothing, coats or blankets.
Warm the person gradually, focusing on the body’s core. You can apply warm, dry compresses to their neck, chest and groin. If you have an electric blanket wrap them in it. Or use a hot water bottle or chemical hot pack but wrap those in a towel first.
Try to get the person to drink something warm and sweet but not alcoholic. Alcohol slows the warming-up process. The CDC said not to force liquids on an unconscious person.
Do not try to warm them too quickly by putting them under a heating lamp or into a hot bath, the Mayo Clinic said. The CDC said you can use warm-to-touch water to slowly warm up areas that may be frostbitten. Also, don’t focus on warming the arms and legs by rubbing them because it can put more stress on their heart and lungs, the Mayo Clinic said.
For cases of extreme hypothermia, get emergency help immediately, the CDC said. You should also perform CPR even if the person appears to be dead. The CDC said that in some cases a person may not appear alive but can be successfully resuscitated.
Prevention
The biggest thing to do is not allow yourself to become hypothermic if you can.
You should wear a hat, scarf or mask to cover the face and mouth, a water-resistant coat, mittens or gloves, layers of loose-fitting clothing and water-resistant boots, the CDC said.
Frostbite
The CDC said that frostbite occurs “when a person is exposed to extremely cold temperatures.” It is an injury caused by freezing. A person can experience loss of feeling and color in areas where frostbite has happened, in areas such as the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes.
It can cause permanent damage and even necessitate amputation.
Signs and symptoms
- White or grayish-yellow skin. Skin can also be red, blue, purple or brown depending on how bad the frostbite is and the person’s normal skin coloring.
- Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Clumsiness (from joint stiffness)
- Pain
- Blistering after warming
The person experiencing frostbite may not realize it because of the numbness associated with the condition. They discover they are frostbitten when someone else points it out to them.
Frostbite progresses in stages from frostnip that brings pain, tingling and numbness that doesn’t cause permanent damage. Mild to moderate frostbite appears as changes in skin color and may even begin to feel warm. The skin may look patchy and can have a blister from 12 to 36 hours after rewarming.
Deep frostbite is when frostbite affects all of the layers of skin. Blisters may also form from 24 to 48 hours after rewarming. The tissue may turn black and hard as it dies, the Mayo Clinic said.
Risk factors
Frostbite risk factors include having poor circulation and not being dressed correctly for being outside in freezing temperatures, the CDC reported.
Treatment
Get the person in a warm room quickly
Don’t walk, if possible, when feet or toes are showing signs of frostbite to avoid further damage
Don’t rub the areas that are showing signs of frostbite. It can cause more damage
Place the frostbitten areas in warm water that is comfortable to the touch by areas not exposed to frost bite. Do not use hot water.
If you don’t have warm water available, use areas of your body that are warm such as armpits to slowly warm up frostbitten fingers.
Don’t use a heating pad, heat lamp, stove, fireplace or heater to warm up frostbitten areas which can get burned easily.
See a health care provider.
Prevention
Make sure areas prone to frostbite are covered. Those areas include the nose, ears, toes, cheeks, chin and fingers, the CDC said.
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