[Drugs affect and are affected by body temperature]

There are several connections between drugs and cold. Drugs can lower body temperature; ambient temperature together with the adaptive capacity of the organism can influence various physiological and also pharmacological processes; furthermore, hypothermia can have an effect on drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics which is of considerable clinical importance, since the application of hypothermia as a therapeutic adjuvant is on the rise. The present paper discusses different aspects of these problems, concluding with a proposal that it may now be time to ask for the results of a "cold effect test" before a new drug is accepted for common use, especially in hypothermic patients.