Suggest Ways To Rule Out A Concussion

Posted on Thu, 2 Feb 2017

Question: I have a mild diagnosed concussion from a car accident that was 10 days ago and am still somewhat dazed and confused but think I'm getting a little better. I just woke up from a nap where I was completely covered by a blanket in a 73* room and was shivering uncontrollably... I took my tempcthinking maybe I'm getting sick. And my temp is 96.5. Kind of low. Can this be related to the head injury?

Answered by Dr. Ishu Bishnoi (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Concussion and hypothermia

Detailed Answer:
Hi xxxxxxxxxxx, thanks for asking from HCM.

I can understand your concern and curiosity. The hypothermia can occur due to severe head injury. Diffuse axonal injury (severe brain injury) can cause hypothermia. As it effects thalamus and hypothalamus.

But concussion does not cause hypothermia. Concussion is a type of mild head injury affecting mainly frontal and temporal lobe. It can cause aggressiveness, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, forgetfulness, but no hypothermia. The thermoregulatory centre is spared by concussion.

So no need to worry about low temperature due to head injury. But as your temperature became 96.5 F, you must discuss it with your family doctor. If there is sever cold outside and you were sleeping. The inactivity in sleep might be the cause of this episode.

If you need any help, do let me know. I will be happy to help you.
Thanks. Take care

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D