Hyperthermia due to heat retention in chronic spinal cord injury: A case report

• Published in: Journal of general and family medicine 2019-05, Vol.20 (3), p.111-113
• Main Authors: Tomoda, Yoshitaka, Kagawa, Satoshi, Kurata, Satoshi, Tanaka, Kazutoyo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body temperature; Cardiovascular disease; Case Report; Case Reports; Cooling; Family medical history; Fever; Heat; heat retention; Hospitalization; Hyperthermia; Laboratories; Medical imaging; Patients; Physicians; Pneumonia; Retention; Skin; Spinal cord injuries; spinal cord injury; Thrombosis; Thyroid gland; Urinary tract diseases; Urinary tract infections; Urogenital system
• ISSN: 2189-7948; 2189-6577; 2189-7948
• DOI: 10.1002/jgf2.234

An 80‐year‐old male with past history of cervical spinal cord injury visited our hospital owing to perforation in the digestive tract. Upon admission to the general ward, he presented with a sustained fever that was unresponsive to acetaminophen and antibiotics. Based on the dry skin and underlying disease, he was diagnosed with hyperthermia due to heat retention. After controlling the room temperature to cool his body and performing evaporative and convective cooling, his symptoms completely resolved. This case highlights that primary physicians should be aware of thermoregulatory dysfunction in patients with cervical spinal cord injury. We present a case of an 80‐year‐old male with chronic cervical spinal cord injury who presented with high fever. Based on dry skin and underlying disease, he was diagnosed with hyperthermia due to heat retention. His symptoms completely resolved after controlling the room temperature and cooling his body.