Hypothermia-related deaths--Suffolk County, New York, January 1999-March 2000, and United States, 1979-1998.
Hypothermia is the unintentional lowering of core body temperature to <95 F (<35 C). Core body temperature normally is maintained at 97.7 F (36.5 C). Most hypothermia-related deaths occur during the winter in states that have moderate to severe cold temperatures (e.g., Alaska, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania). During 1979-1998, New York had the second highest number of hypothermia-related deaths in the United States. This report presents case reports of four hypothermia-related deaths during January 1999-March 2000 in Suffolk County (1999 population: 1,383,847), the largest county in New York excluding New York City, and summarizes hypothermia-related deaths in the United States during 1979-1998. Such deaths can be prevented by educating health-care providers and the public to identify persons at risk for hypothermia.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology