Elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation
This article is about hyperthermia as a condition. For hyperthermia as a treatment, see Hyperthermia therapy.
Not to be confused with hypothermia.
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Medical condition
Hyperthermia
Other names
Overheating
An analog medical thermometer showing a temperature of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F)
Specialty
Critical care medicine
Symptoms
Lack of perspiration, confusion, delirium, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate and respiration rate, symptoms of dehydration
Complications
Organ failure, unconsciousness
Causes
Heat stroke[1]
Risk factors
Exposure to hot and/or humid environments, physical exertion, wearing personal protective equipment that covers the body, heatwaves
Diagnostic method
Based on symptoms or body temperature above 37.7 °C (99.9 °F)[2]
Differential diagnosis
Fever[3]
Prevention
Maintaining a moderate temperature, regular hydration, taking regular breaks
Treatment
Mild: Staying away from hot environments, rehydrating oneself, mechanical cooling, use of a dehumidifier Severe: intravenous hydration, gastric lavage with iced saline, hemodialysis, immersing in ice water
Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme temperature elevation occurs, it becomes a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment to prevent disability or death.[citation needed] Almost half a million deaths are recorded every year from hyperthermia.[citation needed]
The most common causes include heat stroke and adverse reactions to drugs. Heat stroke is an acute temperature elevation caused by exposure to excessive heat, or combination of heat and humidity, that overwhelms the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body. The latter is a relatively rare side effect of many drugs, particularly those that affect the central nervous system. Malignant hyperthermia is a rare complication of some types of general anesthesia. Hyperthermia can also be caused by a traumatic brain injury.[4][5][6]
Hyperthermia differs from fever in that the body's temperature set point remains unchanged. The opposite is hypothermia, which occurs when the temperature drops below that required to maintain normal metabolism. The term is from Greek ὑπέρ, hyper, meaning "above", and θέρμος, thermos, meaning "heat".
^Bouchama, Abderrezak; Knochel, James P. (20 June 2002). "Heat Stroke". New England Journal of Medicine. 346 (25): 1978–1988. doi:10.1056/nejmra011089. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 12075060.
^Cite error: The named reference Harrisons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference NC08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Thompson, Hilaire J.; Tkacs, Nancy C.; Saatman, Kathryn E.; Raghupathi, Ramesh; McIntosh, Tracy K. (April 2003). "Hyperthermia following traumatic brain injury: a critical evaluation". Neurobiology of Disease. 12 (3): 163–173. doi:10.1016/s0969-9961(02)00030-x. ISSN 0969-9961. PMID 12742737. S2CID 23680754.
^Truettner, Jessie S.; Bramlett, Helen M.; Dietrich, W. Dalton (1 April 2018). "Hyperthermia and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Effects on Inflammation and the Cerebral Vasculature". Journal of Neurotrauma. 35 (7): 940–952. doi:10.1089/neu.2017.5303. ISSN 0897-7151. PMC 5865622. PMID 29108477.
^Thompson, H. J.; Pinto-Martin, J.; Bullock, M. R. (1 May 2003). "Neurogenic fever after traumatic brain injury: an epidemiological study". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 74 (5): 614–619. doi:10.1136/jnnp.74.5.614. ISSN 0022-3050. PMC 1738450. PMID 12700304.
Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation...
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a type of severe reaction that occurs in response to particular medications used during general anesthesia, among those...
Hyperthermia therapy (or hyperthermia, or thermotherapy) is a type of medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to temperatures above body temperature...
is raised, but the setpoint is not raised, then the result is hyperthermia. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can...
of medication or vaccination, and cancer. It differs from hyperthermia, in that hyperthermia is an increase in body temperature over the temperature set...
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not absorbed significantly in homogenous muscle. Heat therapy using hyperthermia has been used to treat cancer in combination with ionizing radiation...
are fatal even with treatment. Heat stroke generally presents with a hyperthermia of greater than 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) in combination with disorientation...
as an active sympathetic system of vasodilation. In certain cases of hyperthermia, skin vasodilation has permitted blood flow rates of skin to reach volumes...
the primary drug used for the treatment and prevention of malignant hyperthermia, a rare, life-threatening disorder triggered by general anesthesia or...
where they are applied) for cancer such as radiation therapy, surgery or hyperthermia therapy. Traditional chemotherapeutic agents are cytotoxic by means of...
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neoplasms (cancer and tumors), warts, and infected tissues; this is called hyperthermia treatment. In surgery diathermy is used to cauterize blood vessels to...
production, muscle pain, and rash. Serious side effects include malignant hyperthermia, hyperkalemia and allergic reactions. It is not recommended in people...
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is likely to be due to loss of integrity to the blood brain barrier. Hyperthermia also can lower cerebral blood flow, and raise brain temperature. Researchers...
have caused catastrophic crop failures and thousands of deaths from hyperthermia. They have increased the risk of wildfires in areas with drought. They...
include malignant hyperthermia or high blood potassium. It should not be used in patients with a history of malignant hyperthermia in either themselves...
brachycephaly are risk of complications whilst under anaesthesia, and hyperthermia — with the latter caused due to an inability to effectively reduce body...
Depression of the thermoregulatory mechanism resulting in hypothermia/hyperthermia Rare side effects include: Seizures Because of potential for more severe...
accuracy of hyperthermia cancer treatment and cancer imaging. Multiple studies have shown that magnetic nanorings improves magnetic hyperthermia cancer treatment...
PMID 27626044. Hyperthermia alone does not produce amphetamine-like neurotoxicity but AMPH and METH exposures that do not produce hyperthermia (≥40 °C) are...
and θέρμη (thérmē), meaning "heat". The opposite of hypothermia is hyperthermia, an increased body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hypothermia...
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