Body Temperature

(Homeostatic Control of Body Temperature)

Dr. Dedi Ardinata, M.Kes
Department of Physiology
Medical School, University of Sumatera Utara
Medan, Indonesia

Without thermoregulation to facilitate

exercise the body would overheat and
the effect would result in death.

Many athletes have died of heat

stress for this reason. It is important
to know how to cool off in hot weather
by understanding thermoregulation
and the best ways to make it work to
your advantage.

Why is maintenance of body

temperature important?
Rate of enzyme activity is related to
temperature
37C
43C
Activit
y

Reversibl
e

Temperature

NonReversible
55C

TEMPERATURE & METABOLSIM

Temperature

affects
metabolism (and Ps) of
organisms by affecting the
speeds of chemical reactions
and the effectiveness of
enzymes.

Thermal Conditions

Humans are homeothermic.

A constant internal temperature of

36.1 to 37.80C.

Body heat is transferred by

conduction, evaporation, convection
and radiation.

HEAT BALANCE RESEMBLES

ENERGY BALANCE
INPUT - OUTPUT = + >>RISE IN TEMPERATURE
INPUT - OUTPUT = - >>FALL IN TEMPERATURE
INPUT - OUTPUT = 0 >>NO CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE

The Hypothalamus
The Bodys Thermostat

Increased core
temperature
Anterior hypothalamus
Commencement of
sweating
Increased skin blood flow

Cold exposure
Posterior hypothalamus
Increase heat
production

Shivering

Decrease heat loss

Decreased skin blood

flow

Factors That Affect Heat

Gain

BMR, muscular activity, hormones, thermic

effect of food, postural changes, and
environment. (Total metabolic rate can
increase 3 to 5 times from shivering and 20
to 25 times during sustained vigorous
exercise in aerobically fit individuals.
Heat is conserved when blood is shunted
into the cranial, thoracic and abdominal
cavities and portions of muscle mass for
insulation from the shell.

Factors That Affect Heat

Loss
Radiation, conduction, convection,
and evaporation, which is most
important.
The body is cooled when internal
heat buildup causes the blood
vessels to dilate and direct warm
blood to the shell.

Mechanisms of Heat
Transfer

Radiation:
Infrared radiation.

Conduction:
Direct transfer of energy through physical
contact.

Convection:
Heat loss to air around the human body.

Evaporation:
Energy change in water molecule from liquid
to vapor.

Hypothalamic Regulation of
Core Temperature
The hypothalamus contains the central
coordination center for temperature
regulation. It initiates the responses that keep
the body from overheating or overcooling
Heat-regulating mechanisms are activated by
either:

Thermal receptors in the skin or,

Temperature changes in the blood
Free nerve endings in the skin respond to heat and
cold and relay the senses to the hypothalamus and
cerebral cortex.

Major subdivisions of the hypothalamus and pituitary

Thermoregulation: Homeostatic Balancing of Body

Temperature

Body Temperatures: Core and

Skin
Normal
37o C

COLD

HOT

Core Temperature
27o C

37o C

47o C

37o C

47o C

Normal
33-34o C
Skin Temperature
27o C

Skin temperature tends to be colder than core temperature at a normal state

If Skin Temperature Gets Hot:

Core temperature

Normal

27o C

37o C

Skin temperature

27o C

47o C
Hot 38o C

37o C

Then body will lose heat:

1. Behavior - e.g. turn on a fan
2. Increase skin circulation
3. Etc...

47o C

If Skin Temperature Gets Cold:

Normal

27o C

37o C

Cold 30o C

27o C

Core temperature

47o C
Skin temperature

37o C

47o C

Then body will gain heat:

1. Behavior - e.g. put on more clothes
2. Decrease skin circulation
3. Etc...

Range of SKIN Temperature

Temp*

0-5
15
32 - 33

No sensation
Sensation of cold

33 - 34

Comfort Zone

35 - 37

Sensation of warm

35-39

Sensation of heat

39 - 41

Pain

41 - 43

Threshold of burning pain

45
* in degrees Celcius

OH-OH!

Rapid tissue damage

AHHH!

OUCH!!!

Responses to Heat Stress

Responses to Cold Stress

Various Sites
to Measure
Skin
Temperature

Temperature Assessment
Equipment:

Electronic thermometer
Tympanic membrane thermometer
Glass thermometer
Disposable single-use thermometer
Temperature-sensitive patch or tape
Automated monitoring devices

Definitions
Fever elevation of body
temperature due to a resetting of
the hypothalamic thermoregulatory
center
Hyperthermia elevation of body
temperature due to inadequate
compensation by normal heat-loss
mechanisms

Definitions
(cont.)

Hyperpyrexia elevation of temperature

to unusually high levels, 105.8oF (41 oC)
or higher
Fever Without a Focus fever with no
clear cause determined by history
and/or physical exam
Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)
prolonged fever lasting over 7 10 days
without identified cause

Definitions
(cont.)
What is a normal temperature?
Nothing magic about 98.6 oF (37oC)
Upper limit of normal extends to
100.2oF (37.9oC) in children
Person-to-person variations of normal
Circadian variations of normal
100.4oF (38.0oC) or above is considered
a fever

Pathophysiology
of Fever

Cytokines called endogenous pyrogens

are released in response to various
inciting agents:
Common:
Viruses, bacteria
Less common:
Immune complexes
i.e. autoimmune
disease
Tumor cells
malignancy

Cytokines reset the hypothalamic

thermostat to a higher set-point.

Pathophysiology
of Fever
Analogy to the thermostat on your
homes heater
In a normal
equilibrium,
the
thermostat is
set to an
ideal or
normal
temperature

Pathophysiology
of Fever
When someone turns the thermostat up, the
furnace comes on, and the temperature begins to
rise:

Pathophysiology
of Fever
Similarly, in the human, when a pyrogen resets the
hypothalamic thermostat, the bodys furnace
comes on, and the temperature rises:

Shivering

Goose bumps

Cutaneous
vasoconstriction

Sensation of
feeling cold

Pathophysiology
of Fever

The symptoms of shivering, goose

bumps, cutaneous vasoconstriction
(cold, pale hands and feet), and a
sensation of feeling cold are
collectively known as chills

Chills occur when the fever is rising

Pathophysiology of
Fever
Continuing the analogy to your
home thermostat:
When the
thermostat is
reset to
normal, the
furnace goes
off and the
house cools

Pathophysiology
of Fever
When the hypothalamic thermostat is reset to
normal (such as when antipyretic medication is
given, or the illness ends), the body begins to cool
and the temperature returns to normal:
Sweating
Cutaneous
vasodilitation
Sensation of
feeling hot

Pathophysiology
of Fever

The symptoms of sweating,

cutaneous vasodilitation (warm, red
skin), and a sensation of feeling hot
are collectively called sweats

Sweats occur when the fever is

breaking