Hypothermia is defined as which of the following?

• A. Hypothermia
• B. Hyperthermia
• C. Indirect Threat Care/Warm Zone/Tactical Field Care
• D. the excessive cooling of the body's core temperature

Answer: (D)

Hypothermia means the excessive cooling of the body's core temperature. The core temperature is what the body uses to drive metabolism and organ function, so when heat loss outpaces production and the core drops, normal processes start to fail. That’s why the definition focuses on the core temperature being excessively lowered.

The other options don’t define hypothermia: one just repeats the term without defining it, another describes the opposite condition (hyperthermia), and another points to a care framework rather than a temperature definition. Hypothermia is specifically about the core temperature being abnormally low, typically below normal body temperature.