It’s so cold out there!
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Extreme cold conditions of winter can cause serious medical emergencies. Each year, nearly 1,000 people die due to hypothermia.1 The keys to the level of risk from exposure are the ambient temperature and duration of exposure to cold.3 Most cold-related illness is easily avoidable with proper precautions:
Special precautions are needed for those particularly vulnerable to cold-related illnesses:
Infants cannot make enough body heat by shivering and they lose body heat more easily than adults. Adults over the age of 65 make less body heat due to a slower metabolism and less physical activity. We recommend checking regularly on elderly friends, neighbors and family. They often turn down the thermostat to save money. They are more susceptible to cold, but not as aware of it as younger individuals. They also they are more likely to slip, trip and fall when taking out the garbage, getting their paper or checking the mail. References:
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 Jane's first cold-weather experience was surprising. "The cold attacked any small bit of exposed skin. My face was burning and I wasn’t even out there for very long.” |
 
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