Late hypothermia symptom?

Late hypothermia symptom?

• A. Confusion
• B. Shivering
• C. Lethargy
• D. Bradycardia

Answer: (A)

In hypothermia, signs progress as the core temperature falls. The body’s initial response is shivering, which helps generate heat. As cooling becomes more severe, shivering can fade because the body's metabolic reserves are exhausted, and the CNS becomes increasingly depressed. That CNS involvement manifests as confusion and disorientation, which are hallmark features of late-stage hypothermia. So confusion best reflects the late progression of the condition. Shivering is an early sign, so it doesn’t fit late hypothermia. Lethargy can occur with severe hypothermia but is less specific to the late stage than confusion, and bradycardia is a cardiovascular finding of severe hypothermia rather than a primary late CNS symptom.

In hypothermia, signs progress as the core temperature falls. The body’s initial response is shivering, which helps generate heat. As cooling becomes more severe, shivering can fade because the body's metabolic reserves are exhausted, and the CNS becomes increasingly depressed. That CNS involvement manifests as confusion and disorientation, which are hallmark features of late-stage hypothermia. So confusion best reflects the late progression of the condition.

Shivering is an early sign, so it doesn’t fit late hypothermia. Lethargy can occur with severe hypothermia but is less specific to the late stage than confusion, and bradycardia is a cardiovascular finding of severe hypothermia rather than a primary late CNS symptom.