The Brief
- Emergency rooms across the Chicago area are preparing for a rise in frostbite and hypothermia cases during the current stretch of extreme cold.
- Doctors say most cold-related injuries happen during short, unplanned trips outside when people are under-dressed and lose feeling before realizing it.
- Medical experts warn that common cold-weather habits, including cotton layers and alcohol, can increase the risk of serious injury.
CHICAGO – Emergency rooms in Chicago are bracing for a wave of cold injuries as temperatures drop to dangerous levels.
The problem isn’t just the cold. It’s how people respond to it.
Dr. Chris Colbert, assistant director of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, says the body switches into survival mode faster than most people realize.…