Ahmedabad records alarming 83% increase in breathing emergencies, ET HealthWorld
Ahmedabad: A 32-year-old man attending a wedding in Ahmedabad complained of shortness of breath and was rushed to a corporate hospital on SG Road last week.
“In general circumstances, it would not have affected the youth this much, but the period of smog due to western disturbance aggravated his flu infection to such a level that he was temporarily given oxygen to stabilise,” said Dr Manoj Singh, a city-based pulmonologist and critical care specialist.
For Ahmedabad – and Gujarat at large – 2024 saw a rising number of people not able to breathe easy.
EMRI 108 data indicated that Gujarat, for the first time, crossed 1 lakh cases of breathing problems at 1.24 lakh cases. The numbers doubled in six years from 62,036 recorded in 2018.
Of the total, 26% or more than one-fourth of cases were from Ahmedabad.
In Ahmedabad, the six-year rise was seen at 83% – from 17,778 to 32,506. Thus, daily, Ahmedabad recorded 89 cases of breathing issues, whereas Gujarat recorded 340 cases. Year-on-year, the rise was seen at 30% and 33% respectively.
‘Multiple factors responsible for people’s breathing troubles’
Dr Manoj Singh, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist said that the trend has been in the making for the past couple of years. “For a city like Ahmedabad, upper respiratory tract infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are commonly seen in our OPDs.
If one recollects, the year 2024 saw multiple periods of mixed weather that triggered both allergic reactions in patients and also resulted in the proliferation of flu. It could be the reason for the spike,” he said. Citizens also experienced longer bouts of breathing troubles, prompting them to dial 108 for help.
Dr Tushar Patel, a pulmonologist, said multiple factors are responsible for people’s growing breathing troubles. “Right from bird droppings to changes in weather, respiratory illnesses in urban areas have many causes, and thus each case must be treated with this in mind – pollution is also a major cause where we see the lungs similar to those of smokers who are living in the vicinity of heavy traffic areas or industrial areas,” he said.
Not all cases of ‘shortness of breath’ emergencies are related to respiratory illnesses, said Dr Rahul Jalan, a pulmonologist. “Such symptoms are also indicative of other diseases, including cardiovascular issues. Thus, thorough investigation for such patients in critical care should be carried out to find the underlying cause. But it is true that the past year saw a high number of patients, some of whom also had scarring or injuries in lungs due to existing conditions,” he said, adding that the majority of the patients were above 40 years of age.
Visit: Valley Vision News
