Temperatura Corporal 2
Cargado por
yonny JoseTemperatura Corporal 2
Cargado por
yonny JoseCommon questions
Con tecnología de IAMethods for measuring body temperature include rectal, oral, and axillary measurements. Rectal measurement, the most accurate, has limitations due to its invasiveness. Oral temperature measurement is less invasive and provides a reasonable estimate of core temperature, making it effective for most clinical settings. However, it can be affected by recent intake of food or beverages. Axillary measurement is the least accurate because it reflects environmental influences and may not reliably indicate core body temperature. While these methods each have practical use cases, their effectiveness may vary based on the need for precision or patient comfort .
Vasodilation and vasoconstriction are crucial for thermoregulation. Vasodilation occurs when body temperature increases; the peripheral blood vessels expand, increasing blood flow to the skin's surface, allowing heat to dissipate into the environment. This is why skin appears red and feels warmer after exercise or in hot conditions. Conversely, vasoconstriction reduces blood flow to the skin in cold environments, conserving body heat by directing blood away from the surface and minimizing heat loss. Both processes ensure the body maintains its internal temperature effectively .
Thermoregulation in humans integrates with thermodynamic principles to maintain homeostasis by regulating energy exchange and heat production. According to the first law, the body maintains energy balance through metabolic processes, while the second law involves energy dispersal, requiring constant energy intake to account for entropy. The hypothalamus acts as a control center using thermodynamic principles to regulate heat production (via metabolism and muscle contractions) and heat loss (via evaporation, radiation, conduction, and convection). This regulation keeps internal temperature stable, ensuring optimal biological functioning despite varying external temperatures .
To increase body temperature, the human body reduces blood flow to the skin, contracts muscles involuntarily to produce shivering, and increases basal metabolic rate, consuming energy to generate heat. To decrease temperature, the body employs vasodilation to increase blood flow to skin surfaces and activates sweat glands to dissipate heat through evaporative cooling. These processes involve energy transformations, as described by thermodynamic principles—energy consumed in heating is converted from nutrients, while cooling generally involves the dispersion of body heat into the environment through external mechanisms like evaporation, conduction, and convection .
Body temperature measurements can vary depending on the site: rectal measurements tend to be 0.5°C higher than oral, and oral measurements are about 0.5°C higher than axillary. Oral temperature is generally preferred for those over six years old because it provides a more accurate reflection of the body's internal temperature compared to the axilla, which shows more variability due to external environmental influences. Rectal measurements, while accurate, are more invasive. Thus, oral measurements balance accuracy with ease of use .
The human body is considered a thermodynamic open system because it exchanges both energy and matter with its surroundings. According to the first law of thermodynamics, the energy in the body cannot be created or destroyed but is transferred or transformed into different forms, primarily heat. The body consumes molecules of high energy (nutrition) through metabolic processes and expels products of lower energy, demonstrating the application of the second law of thermodynamics, where energy transformations always result in some energy dispersal as heat. These processes are irreversible and contribute to maintaining the body's constant temperature despite environmental fluctuations .
The primary mechanisms responsible for maintaining a constant body temperature in humans include the regulation by the hypothalamus and various physiological responses to external temperature changes. The hypothalamus acts similarly to a thermostat by adjusting the body's heat production and loss to maintain an internal temperature around 37°C. When the body needs to generate heat, mechanisms such as increasing cutaneous circulation and involuntary muscle contractions (shivering) consume energy to produce heat. Conversely, to dissipate excess heat, processes such as vasodilation, increased blood flow to the skin, and sweating are activated. These responses are complemented by external heat loss mechanisms like radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation .
Internal mechanisms of heat transfer involve biological processes under direct physiological control, such as sweating and vasodilation. Sweating, triggered by temperature sensors in the brain, helps cool the body through evaporative loss. Vasodilation increases blood flow to the skin, promoting heat loss. External mechanisms involve physical processes like radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation. Radiation involves heat loss through infrared emission, conduction through direct contact, convection through air movement replacing warm with cooler air, and evaporation through the loss of heat as sweat evaporates. While internal mechanisms are directly controlled by biological feedback systems, external mechanisms depend on environmental conditions .
During the menstrual cycle, women experience physiological changes that affect body temperature regulation. After ovulation, the hormone progesterone is released, which increases the body temperature by about 0.5°C. This thermal shift remains until menstruation begins. This cyclic temperature change is a normal part of the menstrual cycle and is used in methods of monitoring fertility. The temperature regulation is primarily managed by the hypothalamus, which adjusts to ensure homeostasis despite these hormonal changes .
The hypothalamus plays a critical role in thermoregulation by acting as the body's thermostat. It receives signals about the body's temperature and initiates responses to adjust it towards the set point of around 37°C. When the body is cold, it triggers responses such as shivering and reduced blood flow to the skin to conserve heat. When hot, it promotes heat loss through sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. The hypothalamus thus ensures that internal conditions remain stable despite external changes .
