Old is cold

Body temperature is not as simple as conventional wisdom suggests

THE CLAIM: Body temperature declines with age.

THE FACTS: Body temperature is not as simple as conventional wisdom suggests.
Years ago,scientists discovered that the normal resting body temperature for adults varies from person to person,but that the average temperature is close to 36.8 degrees Celsius,not the widely stated 37 degrees. They also confirmed that body temperature rises from morning to evening.

Since then,some studies have shown that normal temperature seems to decline very slightly from decade to decade as well,and that the decline becomes particularly pronounced in older people. It sounds minor,but studies suggest that even a drop of a couple of degrees could lead to serious fevers going unnoticed because of deceptively low temperature readings.

One study demonstrating this was published in The Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The scientists examined nursing home residents and found that about half who had infections showed temperatures below 38.3 degrees,even though many had robust changes in temperature indicating a potentially serious fever.

Lower baseline temperatures is one problem.
Another is that a fever is part of the bodys defence mechanism against infections,and this immune response may be diminished in some elderly people,including,studies show,in up to 30 per cent of those with serious bacterial or viral infections
THE BOTTOM LINE: Some studies suggest normal body temperature can decline with age.
NYT