Answer to Question #126579 in Biology for tetteh ernest

Question

It is a warm day and you feel a little chilly. On checking your temperature, you find that your body temperature is 1.5 degrees below normal. Suggest 3 possible reasons for this situation. Describe briefly how your body will react to this dip in temperature.

Answer 1

Decreased body temperature is called hypothermia. The state can be caused by low external temperatures. Other possible causes of hypothermia are:

• problems with thyroid gland Hypothyroidism may affect heat production and lead to hypothermia);
• drug and alcohol abuse. Alcohol induces the expansion of the skin vessels causing heat loss while some drugs (i.e., antidepressants, sedatives, etc.) also affect the thermal regulation.
• infection. Some infections associated with sepsis, specifically in older adults and people who are frail, may cause a drop in body temperature.

The organism will increase the metabolic rate to decrease the loss of body heat. The metabolic changes will be associated with the narrowing of skin vessels and involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles (shivering).