New research carried out by the University of Stanford, revealed a decrease in standard temperature of the human body, which could be taken as normal. Yes ok since the 19th century it was at 37 degrees established by the German doctor Carl Reinhold August Wunderlichthe paradigm changed.
This showed that currently the average temperature of the human body fell to 36 degrees Celsius. This reflects a reduction of approximately 0.6 to 1 degree compared to the previous reference.
The previous figure from 36.6 to 37 degreesknew how to be a constant reference in medicine for centuries, used as a guide to detect fever and other health problems. This current discovery raises questions about the causes of this change and how it affects health.
What are these changes due to?
Scientists attribute this change to several factors, given the living conditions and health of the population varied significantly since that determination of the German.
Among the influences for change, the improvements in nutrition, access to better health services and the reduction of infectious diseases over time. All this improved thanks to the advance in knowledge in this regard, in turn improving sanitary conditions.
In the past, infections and other diseases raised body temperaturebut currently, with menes exposure to risk factorsthe temperature dropped, which explains why the figure of 36.6 degrees is no longer representative of current reality.
That is to say that, at present, these discoveries manifest a constant evolution of the human body and its great capacity for adaptation to current conditions.
The scientists assured that, likewise, body temperature It is not a single value for all people equally. There it can also change, depending on different factors such as sex, time of day, state of health, and the area of the body where the measurement is taken.
Even the use of different types of thermometers can affect and vary the result. For this reason, science establishes that body temperature is a relative indicator.
From this modification in the average temperature, mutations in the ways conditions like fever are diagnosed. Now, doctors must adapt and get used to these new findings to monitor the health of their patients with greater precision.
This adjustment in body temperature is an example of how science continues to review and update parameters fundamental for health as greater knowledge is acquired about the human body and its environment.
Source: Ambito
