The cold weather and the difference in day and night temperatures over the past week have caused the number of elderly and children hospitalized due to coughs and difficulty breathing to increase by 10-15% compared to normal days, and the number of stroke patients has also increased.
On December 25, Dr. Ta Huu Anh, Deputy Head of the Intensive Care Unit, Central Geriatric Hospital, said that the number of patients examined and hospitalized due to respiratory diseases has increased dramatically in the past few days, with many cases having a serious prognosis. 56 patients are being treated in the department, while there are only 51 fixed beds.
"The number of patients increased by one and a half times compared to normal days," said the doctor.
A few days ago, a 96-year-old male patient had only a mild cough. When he was admitted to the hospital, he had difficulty breathing and vomited into his lungs, requiring a ventilator. Due to his old age and severe pneumonia, the patient did not survive. According to Dr. Anh, the symptoms of the disease in the elderly are often atypical, but they can worsen very quickly.
Or an 87-year-old man, addicted to smoking, with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hospitalized due to fatigue, high fever, and inability to eat or drink. Currently, the patient is being actively monitored, on a ventilator, with a poor prognosis.
At Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Dr. Vu Quoc Dat, Deputy Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases and Harm Reduction Intervention, also said that in the past two weeks, the number of visits and hospitalizations due to flu has shown signs of increasing, but there have been no critical patients. If not detected and treated promptly, patients can easily develop serious complications.
Doctor Anh is examining a seriously ill patient at the department on December 25. Photo: Thuy An
The number of hospitalizations due to stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, thrombosis, cardiovascular disease... at some hospitals in Hanoi increased by 10-15% compared to last month, including many young patients.
The Neurology Center of Bach Mai Hospital usually receives 30-50 patients on a normal day, but in the past week it has increased to 60-70 cases per day. 12 doctors and nurses on duty are struggling with the sudden increase in workload. In addition to the elderly, seriously ill patients transferred from lower levels have caused the entire hospital to be overloaded.
Hospital E recorded a similar increase in the number of patients. In particular, stroke patients are getting younger and younger, and many people are subjective. For example, a 34-year-old male patient in Bac Tu Liem suddenly had weakness in the left side of his body and difficulty speaking while playing table tennis at work after work due to a stroke on December 19.
The number of hospitalized patients has also increased in some provincial hospitals, including many young patients. The Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Gastroenterology, Phu Tho General Hospital, receives 10-15 pneumonia patients each month. Particularly in November and early December, the number and severity of cases have increased.
At the Emergency Department of Bai Chay Hospital, Quang Ninh, the number of stroke cases due to cerebrovascular accidents at the hospital increased dramatically with 15 cases in 3 days of cold weather. The Pediatric Clinic recorded an increase in the number of children coming to see a doctor for respiratory diseases such as seasonal flu, acute rhinopharyngitis, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia.
Dr. Nguyen Huu Thao, Head of the Department of Intensive Care and Anti-Poisoning, Vinh Phuc Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, noted a similar increase in the situation in the department. Most children showed symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose due to seasonal flu, rhinopharyngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
According to doctors, the number of hospitalized patients has increased due to many reasons, including cold weather that aggravates respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, cerebrovascular accidents, and strokes. In addition, prolonged cold weather reduces human endurance, creating conditions for viruses and bacteria to develop. Not to mention, cold weather makes many patients lazy to go to the doctor and subjective when sick, delaying hospitalization, leading to a poor prognosis.
High-risk groups include children under two years old, the elderly over 65 years old, people with chronic respiratory diseases, kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, diabetes, and those in the last three months of pregnancy. People with weakened immune systems are also susceptible to viruses and bacteria when the temperature drops suddenly, such as stroke, peripheral facial nerve palsy, musculoskeletal diseases, etc.
Some northern provinces and cities have temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, and high mountainous areas around 3 degrees Celsius, such as Pha Din (Dien Bien), Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Tien Yen (Quang Ninh), Moc Chau (Son La), Dong Van (Ha Giang)... causing many elderly people and children to fall ill.
In the last days of December, cold air is forecast to continue to operate, with severe cold likely to occur in the North and North Central regions. In January 2024, cold air tends to be weaker, with the number of days of severe cold lower than the average of many years.
Many elderly people and children were hospitalized due to the sudden cold weather. Photo: Provided by Bai Chay Hospital
Doctor Hoang Thanh Hoa - Pediatrics Department, Bai Chay Hospital, recommends that everyone pay attention to some signs of serious illness in children such as continuous high fever, not responding to fever-reducing medicine, need to take the child to a medical facility for examination. Clean the nose and throat daily, supplement nutrition, eat warm food, avoid cold food... to limit illness.
In cold weather, the elderly should monitor their health regularly, take medication as prescribed, and screen for risk factors such as blood pressure, blood fat, diabetes, tobacco, alcohol, stimulants, etc. The elderly should exercise and do light physical activities such as yoga, relax their mind indoors, in a covered place, or if they go outside, they should wear a hat and warm clothes, etc. When exercising, it depends on your endurance, do not overexert yourself.
Everyone needs a proper diet to improve their resistance. Do not buy or use medicine at home without permission. Wear a mask when traveling or when exposed to dusty environments. Limit traffic when the roads are crowded and avoid areas that are often polluted.
Get fully vaccinated against influenza, pneumococcal, and Covid-19 to prevent the body from getting infected and getting worse.
Thuy An
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