Cold feet for babies | Cold feet

Cold feet for babies

Due to the relatively large body surface in relation to body weight, babies often cool down and hypothermia occurs more quickly than adults. In order to supply the vital organs sufficiently and efficiently, the blood circulation of the outermost limbs is reduced, with subsequent cooling of the extremities. Furthermore, babies first have to get used to the colder temperatures outside the womb.

Cold feet for women

The reason for more frequent freezing and the development of cold feet in women is that women have a significantly lower average percentage of muscle mass compared to men. Muscles lead to the generation of heat through movement. Since the vital organs of the body should now be supplied with warm blood in the best possible way and the core body temperature of 36-37°C should be maintained, the peripheral vessels become constricted and cold hands, feet, ears and nose develop.

Symptoms and complications

As a rule, cold feet should not cause pain, but should be perceived as something unpleasant. Cold feet, which are accompanied by pain, often have a pathological value and should therefore be clarified. If cold feet, as well as blue or white discoloration, pain or swelling, suddenly appear, it is advisable to consult a doctor or a clinic as soon as possible, because it is possible that a blood clot (thrombosis) has occluded a leg vessel, which must be treated quickly to prevent serious complications.

Fever

In the case of a fever (pyrexia), which is a body reaction to many different causes, there is an increase in the body core temperature. This increase is caused by an adaptation to the increased set point temperature. This body’s own regulatory mechanism is managed by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.

An increased body temperature increases the activity of immune cells. Cold feet in fever are caused by a centralization of the blood, which leads to the desired adjustment of the body temperature to the setpoint temperature. Here the body tries to increase its overall temperature by constricting the vessels of the hands and feet (peripheral vasoconstriction), which reduces heat loss to the environment. In a fever situation, cold feet and hands are therefore often a sign of a further increase in fever.