Normal body temperature is commonly considered to be close to 98.6 degrees. Normally, the body is able to keep the temperature within a safe range despite outside conditions, explains the PeaceHealth website. A body temperature that is lower than normal can indicate a life-threatening condition, such as hypothermia, sepsis or anemia.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia, which is body temperature below 95 degrees, is life-threatening. The body normally generates heat, but when more heat is lost than can be produced, hypothermia results. The most common cause is exposure to low temperatures. Being outdoors in cold weather without protective clothing, immersion in cold water, wearing wet clothing in cold and windy weather, and excessive exertion and dehydration in a cold climate can all cause hypothermia, according to MedlinePlus. Most prone to hypothermia are young children and elderly persons, the chronically ill, and people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Signs of hypothermia include confusion, drowsiness, pale and cold skin, loss of coordination, and shivering that cannot be controlled.
Sepsis
Sepsis, a very dangerous disorder, can cause a low body temperature. Sepsis occurs when an infection spreads into the bloodstream and causes an inflammatory reaction throughout the body. Common symptoms of sepsis include a temperature above 100 degrees or below 97 degrees, a rapid heart rate and breathing, and an elevated white blood cell count. Organs may fail, and shock can result. The most common cause of sepsis, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, is an infection acquired during hospitalization. The death rate from failure to recognize sepsis and treat it aggressively averages 40 percent, notes Merck.
Anemia
Anemia results from a low number of oxygen-rich red blood cells or an inadequate amount of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. When the body does not get as much oxygen as it needs to function normally, symptoms develop, including tiredness, shortness of breath, a rapid pulse, lower than normal body temperature, headaches, chest pain and irritability, according to the Office on Women's Health. Anemia can result from blood loss; dietary deficiency of iron or vitamin B12; and diseases such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia and aplastic anemia due to cancer treatments, toxic chemicals, viral infections, autoimmune diseases, medications and genetics.
