What would happen if an organism couldn't maintain homeostasis?

Homeostasis is the body's way to keep everything in balance. This includes body temperature, hormone levels, pH levels and much more. If the system were to fall out of balance due to a failure of homeostasis, physiological processes would fail. For example, if the body temperature began to rise too high, enzymes would stop functioning effectively which would have a knock-on effect on other processes and systems, which would result in illness and probable death.