Daily Temperature Rhythm in Hospitalized Female Patients
The study was designed to determine the hour when temperature peaks occur in adult hospitalized females, and to find if factors such as age and natural or surgical menopause with replacement therapy affect the thermal circadian cycle. Previous studies indicated that the temperature peak occurs in afternoon or early evening, but there were no investigations to determine if aging, sex, or menopause affects the temperature cycle. The sample included 62 female patients, 29 between 21 and 62 years of age, and 33 between 65 and 90 years. Each subject admitted to the study was screened against fifteen qualifying criteria. Some of the subjects were febrile. Data were collected at 10:00 (military time) and at two hour intervals from 14:00 until 22:00, from each subject for two consecutive days. For a given hour the temperatures were averaged for the two days, the hour of highest mean counted as the peak temperature. An oral IVAC electronic thermometer was used to measure all temperatures. The findings supported the hypothesis that a significant number of peak temperatures would be missed by terminating measurements before 16:00. Ninety percent of the subjects' peak temperature occurred at 16:00 or after, seventy-five percent between 18:00 and 20:00. No significant relationship was shown between age and the time of the temperature peak, nor did the findings indicate a difference in the peak temperature time between premenopausal, postmenopausal, and ovariectomized women.
Nursing, Women's Health, Body Temperature; Women; Patients.
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