BehindTheMedspeak: 'What's Normal?'

Above, the headline of Audrey Edwards's April 25 Washington Post Health section story about body temperature.

Did you notice the thermometer in the photo (below)

the Post used to illustrate the article?

Aren't you glad you're always comfortably ahead of the curve?

Me too.

But I digress.

Long story short: Edwards reported that people cool off as they age.

Of course, they become cold-blooded once they die but this isn't about poikilothermia, is it?

Sheesh.

FunFact: Normal body temperature in healthy older people can range between 94° and 99.6°.

Tell you what: if that thermometer reads 94° you can bet I'm gonna stick a mirror in front of your mouth and make sure it fogs up.

But I digress yet again.

Here's the Post article.

What's 'Normal'?

What's New: Your aging mother may have a fever even if her temperature reads less than 98.6 degrees. Researchers have found that older people generally have body temperatures lower than the number often considered normal.

A study conducted at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., determined that body temperature in healthy older people ranged from 94 degrees to 99.6 degrees. The researchers also found that temperature differs not only between individuals but with time of day.

Further study is needed to determine whether body temperature declines with age, according to lead researcher Irving H. Gomolin, the hospital's chief of geriatric medicine.

The study was published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The Evidence: The study involved 100 nursing home residents and 50 individuals living in the community. Ages ranged from 65 to 98. Using electronic digital thermometers, the researchers took temperatures three times over three days from the nursing home residents; temperatures from those in the community were taken only once.

The increase in body temperature during the day was greatest in those under 75. Those who were 85 and older on average showed no significant differences over the course of a day.

Why It Matters: The data suggest that heat production and conservation appear to decrease with advancing age, the researchers said.

Geriatrician Sharon Brangman said the finding could help improve care for the elderly by helping family members and caretakers determine more quickly whether a temperature reading signified a fever or was a normal fluctuation. Family members, she said, should become familiar with the individual's normal body temperature.

Body temperature, she said, should not be the only factor to consider when assessing an older patient's health. Other factors, like confusion and change in behavior, should also be checked.

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Below, the abstract of the journal article.

Older Is Colder: Temperature Range and Variation in Older People

Objectives: To ascertain body temperatures in older people.

Design: Analysis of oral temperatures obtained from elderly subjects residing in the community and nursing home.

Setting: A single nursing home, office setting, and community center.

Participants: One hundred nursing home residents and 50 subjects residing in the community.

Measurements: Three oral temperatures were measured in nursing home residents and once in community dwellers using an electronic digital thermometer.

Results: The average age of subjects was 80.7. Temperatures ranged from 94.0°F to 99.6°F. In nursing home subjects, the 6 a.m. mean temperature was 97.3°F, 4 p.m. mean was 97.4°F, and 10 p.m. mean was 97.8°F. The single midday mean temperature in community dwellers was 97.7°F. Ninety-seven of 100 (97%), 94 of 100 (94%), and 83 of 96 (86%) recordings were below 98.6°F in nursing home residents at 6 a.m., 4 p.m., and 10 p.m., respectively. Similarly, 45 of 50 (90%) community dwellers had midday temperatures below 98.6°F. Repeated-measures analysis demonstrated an increase in temperature during the day. The increase was greatest in the youngest old, with no significant change in body temperature over the course of the day in the oldest old.

Conclusion: Older subjects have mean oral body temperatures lower than 98.6°F. Relatively few even achieve this temperature. In nursing home residents, the oldest were coldest and failed to demonstrate a diurnal rise in body temperature.

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Still thinking about that bendy thermometer?

It's still $13.99 — better get one while they're hot.

As it were.