Wednesday, October 21, 2009

explain why a person developing a fever will shiver as if cold?

is it advisable to cover this person with thick blanket?why or why not?
Answer:
Relative temperature
If the person is developing a fever, it means his body temperature is going up. THe outside temperature remains constant. So relative to him, it is getting colder. So he shivers.Sometimes is it advisable to cover him up to "burn the virus out." A technique that involves increasing the body temperature to a level unsuitable for the virus' survival, essentially killing it.Other times it is not a good idea as covering up will raise the person's temperature and cause many proteins in his body to change irreversibly and kill him.
It's a natural response intended to increase body temperature by raising hairs over your body. Obviously it doesn't work as we don't have functioning fur. ; )
it is a positive reaction of our body to any sickness. right after the shivering, the body temperature will shoot up. it is not adviseable
to cover him with blanket. the more the body heat will be trapped
which will increase the heat and will render the patient uncom-
fortable. give him lots of liquids instead.
Our body temperature is maintained by a thermostat like mechanism, by the hypothalamus area of brain (thermoregulation). During fever, the toxins due to the infection and other chemical generated by our own immune cells, result in setting the thermostat point to a higher level. the brain then thinks of the normal temp as low, and an 'effector mechanisms' starts, resulting in the patient feeling cold, heart rate increases, increased muscle tone and shivering, because the brain perceives normal as low. this effector mechanism raises the body temp. to the new thermoregulatory set-point.mechanisms.
it is not advisable to cover with blankets. if fever rises too much (more than 100-101 C), medicines like paracetamol is given, along with the primary treatment for the cause of fever. keep the person adequately hydrated with cool oral fluids and in a well ventilated room, keep a window open. covering the body with too many clothes will result in heat trapping inside, and further damage to body will result.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

 
vc .net