“I have a low temperature, so at 36.8 I already feel terrible.” If there is no one in your social circle who often says this, a tenth up, a tenth down, then that person is you. This is a fairly common occurrence, but health professionals generally disagree. They don’t even consider that 37°C can perceived as fever. A few tenths higher will be a low-grade fever, and the fever itself will begin at about 37.8 ° C. That’s the agreement so far, it’s true. However, according to a new study looking at Body temperaturepublished by scientists from Stanford University of Medicine, it is possible that the sentence with which this article begins is not so wrong.
Historically, the average human body temperature was thought to be 37°C. This is due to experiments carried out in the 19th century by a German doctor. Karl Reinhold August Wunderlich. However, over time it became clear that the average was slightly lower. Few people reach a temperature of 37°C in everyday life, and the average is more likely to be about 36.5°C. The difference could be due to the poor development of temperature measurement techniques in the 19th century, as well as changes in our lifestyle. For example, better hygiene that protects us from possible pathogens that cause our immune system to raise the temperature.
But in their study, scientists from Stanford note that in factCalculating average body temperature is not easy.. It was already known that this could vary depending on parameters such as time of day, phases of the menstrual cycle or even stress. But in reality there are many more parameters. So much that there is no point in calculating the average body temperature, because there will be people very far from her. And yes, the conclusion of these scientists is that for those people whose temperature is much lower than the expected average, perhaps a fever can be considered a lower temperature than for others.
What is a fever?
Before talking about normal body temperature, it doesn’t hurt to remember what a fever is.
This is known as body temperature is higher than normal, usually associated with infection or inflammation. In the case of infections, it was thought for many years that fevers increased because many viruses and bacteria are temperature sensitive, so when the body temperature rises they are weakened and it is easier for the immune system to fight them.
It’s right. However, over time, it was noticed that there are more reasons. For example, an increase in body temperature speeds up movement T lymphocytes through the bloodstream. These are one of the most important cells in the defense response, so the sooner they reach the site of infection, the faster it can be eliminated.
For inflammatory processes, must be distinguished, since there are several types. If they are related to the immune system’s response, we have already seen the cause of the warming. However, when this occurs due to injury, the temperature also increases as the blood vessels dilate, making it easier for blood to flow to the injured area. This causes an increase in temperature, which is usually only local. But in some cases, fever may also occur.
New data on body temperature
The authors of a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicinewere based on data 618,306 people who attended Stanford Medical Center between 2008 and 2017. The goal was to analyze the normal body temperature of an adult. Therefore, thanks artificial intelligence algorithmThose who had medical conditions or were taking medications that could raise or lower their temperature were excluded from the study. This is interesting because through this screening they discovered that type 2 diabetes is associated with cold temperatures, which was not previously known. This was not the purpose of the study, but it was the first interesting information that could be gleaned from it.
Once these patients were excluded, they classified body temperature data based on various parameters, looking for those that seemed to correlate with changes in their values. They noticed that normal human body temperature depends on factors such as age, gender, height, weight and time of dayj. Apart from menstrual cycles, as we have already seen.
Women tend to have higher temperatures than men. Additionally, regardless of gender, body temperature generally decreases with age and increases with weight and height. As for the time of day, the lowest were recorded in the morning, and the highest around 16:00. This is something we have all experienced at one time or another. For example, when we wake up in the morning without a fever and see how it begins to rise during the day. But what kind of fever are we talking about?
I have a low temperature…
Through this study, it was seen that the average human body temperature usually fluctuates. between 36.3°C and 36.8°C, with an average temperature of 36.5°C. However, it is true that there are people who are much below this average.
Therefore, the authors warn that in these cases, a temperature that is not usually considered a fever may indicate the presence of infection in all its glory.
It is true that heating to combat pathogens must be strong for any person, no matter what their normal temperature. And also that 37ºC will not harm anyone, no matter how low its temperature is initially. But it is also true that, starting at a lower temperature, the heat required to propel lymphocytes through the blood vessels may not need to be as high. It’s the same with inflammation. The area is heated up higher than before. So those who say they get very upset at 37°C may not be wrong. This is not a high fever or severe fever, but it would be interesting to look at each case individually.
Source: Hiper Textual
