Amid air pollution crisis, hospitals see rise in respiratory cases, ET HealthWorld
New Delhi: On Monday, a 30-year-old asthma patient, had to be rushed to city’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital after her cough and cold aggravated and she started complaining of increased breathlessness. In the afternoon, she had collapsed. Post hospitalisation, she has been recuperating.
RML started a pollution clinic last year. However, this year the number of patients is already up, highlighting the severity of air pollution across North India, especially the capital city, New Delhi.
“We are seeing patients with breathlessness, blocked nose, itching in eyes and sore throat post Diwali,” said Dr Amit Jindal, consultant in respiratory medicine, RML hospital. “In the last few weeks, we are seeing a significant increase in respiratory complaints like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchitis. “The number of patients are going up, already its more than last year,” added Dr Ajay Shukla, Medical Superintendent, RML hospital.
The situation is no different in other hospitals.
An 80-year-old resident of Lajpat Nagar with a history of heart issue had to be admitted to city’s Moolchand hospital after he complained of chest pain. “He was having difficulty breathing and was not able to cope up with the smog. That’s when we decided to get him to the hospital,” said Sudesh Sachdev, Dileep’s wife.
Dr Nishith Chandra, Director, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said more cases of heart attacks, heart failures are getting referred to hospitals largely due to worsening air quality. “For the past one week, we have been seeing very high levels of pollution in Delhi and NCR region, which is very hazardous especially for people who are having pre-existing lung and heart diseases. The level of AQI is 50 times more than the permissible limits, exposing our lungs, heart to these toxic levels of pollution, ” he said.
The poor air quality and the severe cold conditions are increasing the chances of people falling sick. Doctors say, even after patients recover from the acute phase, the cough will persist for a couple of days to weeks.
Health advisory
In an advisory issued on Monday, the health ministry has urged people to remain indoors on days with poor to severe AQI. The ministry has advocated for healthy diet with fruit and vegetables rich in antioxidants and adequate amount of hydration by drinking water.
For those with underlying medical conditions particularly chronic pulmonary or cardiovascular problems it has asked to avoid exposure to air pollution.
The ministry has also said to avoid any “strenuous activity” and stay indoor during higher AQI levels. It has said that disposable N95 or N99 is useful provided user instructions are followed.
