Body temperature definition

Obligatory reception of examination of patients with various diseases, especially infectious.
Using a mercury thermometer, body temperature is measured in the armpit (previously the skin is wiped dry), less often in other areas - inguinal fold, oral cavity, rectum, vagina. The duration of temperature measurement in the armpit is approximately 10 minutes. The temperature, as a rule, is measured 2 times a day - at 7-8 in the morning and at 17-19 hours; If necessary, measure more often.
Normal values ​​of body temperature when measuring in the axilla are in the range from 36 ± С to 37 ± С. During the day it fluctuates: maximum values ​​are observed between 17 and 21 hours, and minimal, usually between 3 and 6 hours, with the temperature difference in the norm is less than 1 ± С (not more than 0,6 ± С). After great physical or emotional stress, in a hot place, body temperature can rise. In children, body temperature is 0.3-0.4 C higher than in adults, in older age it may be somewhat lower.
It is known that many diseases are accompanied by a change in the temperature of the affected parts of the body. Cessation of blood flow, for example, when the vessel is clogged with a thrombus or air bubble, is accompanied by a decrease in temperature. In the inflammation zone, where, on the contrary, the metabolism and blood flow are more intense, the temperature is higher.
For example, malignant neoplasms in the stomach have a temperature of 0.5-0.8 degrees above the surrounding tissues, and with liver diseases such as hepatitis or cholecystitis, its temperature rises by 0.8-2 degrees. It is also known that hemorrhages lower the temperature of the brain, and tumors, on the contrary, increase.
An increase in body temperature above 37 ± C is a protective-adaptive response and is called fever. Depending on the cause of the disease, infectious and noninfectious fevers are distinguished. The latter is observed in cases of poisoning, allergic reactions, malignant tumors, etc. The following types of fever are distinguished (according to the degree of temperature increase): subfebrile (from 37 to 38 ± С), moderate (from 38 to 39 ± С), high (from 39 to 41 ± C) and excessive, or hyperpyretic, fever (over 41 ± С).