Answer
Hypothermia is a condition in which the body temperature has fallen below the normal body temperature range. This can be caused by exposure to cold ambient temperature for such a long period that the situation is reached where the body's compensatory mechanisms have difficulty in readily restoring the temperature to normal levels. Hypothermia can also be induced by immersion of a subject in cold (ice-cold) water.
If the core temperature falls below 33 deg C (91 F). the metabolic rate will fall so low that the compensatory mechanisms cannot keep up with the loss, and the persisting cold input causes the temperature to fall lower and lower. This phenomenon is analogous to a positive feedback loop. The temperature will keep falling until something catastrophic stops it. In this case, at 32 deg C (90 F) the heart will be adversely affected and cardiac fibrillation will begin. Still, some people survive a temperature of 29 deg C (84 F) in a state of suspended animation. However, at 24 deg C (75 F) death usually supervenes.
Work Step by Step
Alcohol worsens hypothermia. It may "burn," but it does not warm.
