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Article: body temperature
- Article from:
- The Mosby Medical Encyclopedia
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The Mosby Medical Encyclopedia
10-01-1996
body temperature, the level of heat made by the body. Variations in body temperature are major signs of disease and other defects. Heat is created in the body through processing (metabolism) of food. Heat is lost from the body surface through radiation, convection, and evaporation of sweat. Heat production and loss are regulated by the hypothalamus and brain stem. Fever is usually caused by increased heat production. However, some abnormal conditions, as congestive heart failure, cause slight fevers because the heat-loss function is damaged. Diseases of the hypothalamus may cause below-normal body temperatures. Normal adult body temperature, as ...