Keilson L, Lambert D, Fabian D, Thebarge J, Ackerson T, Palomaki G, Turgeon W
JAMA. 1985 Oct 4;254(13):1781-4.
This study investigated the prevalence of low body temperatures in 97 elderly and 20 nonelderly subjects. To the best of our knowledge, no earlier survey has been conducted with a North American population. To ensure comparability with the British National Survey performed in 1973, urine temperatures were collected as a proxy measure of core temperatures. The urine-collecting funnel was modified to minimize cooling artifact introduced by the device. Study subjects were selected from an internal medicine clinic that serves the poor, a federally subsidized housing project, and a subsidized housing project in northernmost Maine. A youthful population (mean age, 32.3 years) was chosen to provide a comparative population to elderly participants (mean age, 73.9 years). Based on the British National Survey, the expected prevalence of low body temperatures (less than 35.5 degrees C) was 10%. The present study detected no low body temperatures, and the average urine and mouth temperatures were 0.3 and 0.19 degree C warmer, respectively, than those in the British National Survey. Youthful subjects were not significantly different from elderly participants. There appears to be no evidence from this study that low early-morning basal body temperature (less than 35.5 degrees C) is a common geriatric occurrence in ambient room temperature.
本研究调查了97名老年人和20名非老年人低体温的患病率。据我们所知，此前尚未对北美人群进行过此类调查。为确保与1973年开展的英国全国性调查具有可比性，收集尿液温度作为核心体温的替代测量指标。对尿液收集漏斗进行了改良，以尽量减少该设备引入的降温假象。研究对象选自一家为贫困人口服务的内科诊所、一个联邦补贴住房项目以及缅因州最北部的一个补贴住房项目。选择了一个年轻人群（平均年龄32.3岁）作为老年参与者（平均年龄73.9岁）的对照人群。根据英国全国性调查，低体温（低于35.5摄氏度）的预期患病率为10%。本研究未检测到低体温情况，尿液和口腔平均温度分别比英国全国性调查中的温度高0.3摄氏度和0.19摄氏度。年轻受试者与老年参与者之间无显著差异。本研究似乎没有证据表明在室温环境下，清晨基础体温低（低于35.5摄氏度）是老年人的常见现象。
