shivering
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shivering
[shiv´er-ing]involuntary shaking of the body, as with cold. It is caused by contraction or twitching of the muscles, and is a physiologic method of heat production in humans and other mammals. As a form of aerobic skeletal muscle activity, vigorous shivering uses about as much energy as riding a bicycle or shoveling snow. Weak or debilitated patients tolerate this activity poorly. Patients commonly feel helpless when experiencing contractions of muscles normally under voluntary control. Increased metabolic rate and oxygen demand caused by shivering are particularly stressful for patients with heart or lung disease. Cold-induced shivering is stimulated when body temperatures drop below the thermostatic range or “set point” governed by the hypothalamus. Shivering in fever occurs not because body temperatures fall but because the set point range is driven by the pyrogen. The more vigorous the shivering, the higher the fever is driven up. Heat loss from skin is a dominant stimulus.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
shiv·er·ing
(shiv'ĕr-ing),Trembling resulting from cold or fear. Dogs may also shiver with anticipation, in a state of excitement.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
shivering
The involuntary contraction of skeletal muscle due to exposure to cold or fright, or which is temporally related to the onset of feverMcGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
shiv·er·ing
(shiv'ĕr-ing)Trembling resulting from cold or fear. Dogs may also shiver with anticipation, in a state of excitement.
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
shivering
A rapid succession of contractions and relaxations of muscles and an important means of heat production in the body. The temperature rise in high fever is caused mainly by shivering.Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005