Many elderly people and children are hospitalized due to respiratory diseases

HANOI - Hospitals that see the elderly and children coming for examination and treatment due to respiratory diseases have doubled compared to the previous month.

On the morning of December 11, at the Department of Chronic Lung Diseases, Central Lung Hospital, there were no empty beds. Of 55 patients being treated, there are 15 cases of non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the rest receive oxygen. According to the head doctor of the Department Vu Van Thanh, in the past two weeks, the number of patients visiting the clinic increased from 130 to 150% compared to before, about 250 to 280 times a day.

Mr. Thanh explained, the number of hospitalized patients increased due to many factors, of which weather is one of the factors that aggravate respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchospasm. In addition, cold weather also reduces the body's ability to protect in place.

As Mr. Long, 70 years old, has a chronic lung disease, often coughs and is tired. Recently, the patient turned severe, had respiratory failure, had to go to the emergency room and was on mechanical ventilation and intensive care.

In another case, Mr. Phuc, 68 years old, Ha Dong district, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for 10 years. He went to the emergency room at Ha Dong General Hospital due to shortness of breath, cough, and yellow sputum. This is the second time in a year that he has relapsed, all due to the sudden cold weather.

Some other risk factors such as polluted environment, dust, traffic jams, inactivity, consuming a lot of fast food and stress also increase the likelihood of diseases.

Similarly, at medical facilities such as Ha Dong General Hospital, Duc Giang General Hospital also receive many patients with respiratory diseases. In particular, Duc Giang General Institute recorded more severe cases such as hypertension, stroke ..., mainly in the elderly and people with a history of cardiovascular disease. According to doctors, the sudden cold weather causes blood pressure to fluctuate easily, so the elderly, people with underlying diseases such as blood pressure, diabetes, blood fat ... are at high risk of disease.

Not only the elderly, children are also vulnerable to the effects of weather changes. At the Department of General Examination, National Children's Hospital, the number of children coming to the clinic due to respiratory diseases doubled compared to the same period last month, about 600 cases per day. The hospital had to open more clinics to accommodate.

At Ha Dong Hospital, the number of children hospitalized due to winter diseases also increased rapidly. Doctor Vuong Thi Thuy Hoai, Deputy Head of Pediatrics Department, said that a deep drop in temperature is very dangerous to children's health, especially children under two years old because they do not know how to regulate their body temperature in accordance with the ambient temperature.

Children are at risk of hospitalization due to asthma, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure. Some cases of allergic rhinitis, sore throat, fever, cough, runny nose, rhinitis... Cold weather creates favorable conditions for the virus to develop, causing the child's immune system to decline, loss of appetite, loss of appetite, etc. crying.

In particular, the doctor emphasized that after two years of the pandemic, many people suffer from "immunity debt", a phenomenon that occurs because people are not exposed to bacteria and viruses regularly.

Specifically, in children, natural immunity is formed after exposure to viruses and bacteria, but this ability has been limited or even stopped when the pandemic broke out. This leaves children with immune debt or a lack of immune stimulation due to reduced exposure.

In addition, children are most infected at the age of two. This is the time when the immune system is trained, exposed to many viruses to become stronger. However, after two years of social distancing, there are many children who have never been infected.

Therefore, after Covid-19 is controlled, activities return to normal, people are more subjective in epidemic prevention, for example, do not wear masks, do not wash their hands regularly..., the immune system If the epidemic is not exercised regularly, the risk of disease is higher.

* Source: VNXPRESS Newspaper https://vnexpress.net/nhieu-nguoi-gia-tre-em-nhap-vien-do-mac-benh-ho-hap-4544231.html?gidzl=RryOBycua0HkGX0eoQ2J16XD5IVMhC9S9qaGS8R-bLykJIGB4fFG2EQpJn0atV2