Nanothermometry to improve anticancer strategies

In hyperthermia treatments, the temperature is raised above physiological levels to induce the death of cancerous cells. The local application of hyperthermia is key for a successful treatment and to reduce damage to the ...

Biodegradable anti-cancer treatment micro-robot

Professor Hongsoo Choi's research team in the Department of Robotics Engineering & DGIST-ETH Microrobot Research Center (DEMRC) at DGIST (President Young Kuk) succeeded in developing a biodegradable micro-robot that can perform ...

Magnetic hyperthermia, an auxiliary tool in cancer treatments

Hyperthermia (increase in body temperature) has been used for centuries to combat tumours and reduce their effects. The aim of research by the physicist Eneko Garaio is hyperthermia but using a different system (magnetic ...

New York heat wave kills four

The heat wave that hit New York last week killed four elderly people, the office of the city's chief medical examiner (OCME)said Monday.

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Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. When the elevated body temperatures are sufficiently high, hyperthermia is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment to prevent disability or death.

The most common causes are heat stroke and adverse reactions to drugs. Heat stroke is an acute condition of hyperthermia that is caused by prolonged exposure to excessive heat or heat and humidity. The heat-regulating mechanisms of the body eventually become overwhelmed and unable to effectively deal with the heat, causing the body temperature to climb uncontrollably. Hyperthermia is a relatively rare side effect of many drugs, particularly those that affect the central nervous system. Malignant hyperthermia is a rare complication of some types of general anesthesia.

Hyperthermia can be created artificially by drugs or medical devices. Hyperthermia therapy may be used to treat some kinds of cancer and other conditions, most commonly in conjunction with radiotherapy.

Hyperthermia differs from fever in the mechanism that causes the elevated body temperatures: a fever is caused by a change in the body's temperature set-point.

The opposite of hyperthermia is hypothermia, which occurs when an organism's temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism. Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to low temperatures and is also a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA