Monday January 21, 2003

Cold Weather Injuries

Cold weather raises the risk of injury outdoors. One potentially deadly threat is hypothermia, the lowering of body temperature caused by prolonged exposure to the cold. Learn more about hypothermia and other winter hazards at the following sites.

MEDLINEplus

• Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine
• Provides extensive links to quality sites on the topic
• Directed to a consumer audience
• Updated frequently

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hypothermia.html

MayoClinic

• Explains why humans are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia
• Discusses signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention, and treatment
• Directed to a consumer audience

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00333

National Institute on Aging

• Focuses on cold weather risks for older people
• Cites illnesses that can put people at heightened risk of injury
• Emphasizes safety and prevention

http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/hypother.htm

National Center for Environmental Health

• Presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Provides answers to frequently asked questions about cold weather injury
• Offers practical advice for a person stranded in cold weather

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/extremecold/default.htm

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

• Outdoor Action Guide to Hypothermia and Cold Weather Injuries
• Aimed particularly at persons who engage in outdoor sports and other activities that could heighten risk of exposure to cold
• A technical treatment of the topic

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001216/d001216.html

Clinical Trials

• Presented by the National Institutes of Health
• Lists medical research trials relating to hypothermia
• Includes past, ongoing, and proposed trials
• Discusses recruitment for clinical trials

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/action/FindCondition?ui=D007035&recruiting=true

This page © 2003 NAHEC

This page last modified: 05/09/03