Prolonged humid weather increases the number of people suffering from respiratory and skin diseases

Prolonged cold and humid weather in the North affects health - Photo: NAM TRAN

Respiratory diseases increase in humid weather

At Ha Dong General Hospital (Hanoi) in the past week, the number of patients with respiratory diseases increased by about 20-30% compared to normal days, commonly pneumonia, chronic lung disease, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, etc. In addition to respiratory diseases, many children are also hospitalized due to allergic rhinitis, rash fever, etc.

Similarly, at Thanh Nhan Hospital, the number of patients coming to see a doctor for respiratory diseases has also increased.

Visiting Ha Dong General Hospital, Mr. NXH (in Chuong My, Hanoi) said that on humid days, when the seasons change, he often has difficulty breathing, feels hot and feels very uncomfortable. Previously, Mr. H. had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease since 2007, so his family took him to get checked, to prevent the disease from getting worse.

In humid weather conditions, children are also susceptible to diseases. While taking care of her 3-year-old daughter being treated at the pediatric department of Ha Dong General Hospital, Ms. PT (in Yen Nghia, Ha Dong) said that more than a week ago, the weather changed erratically, causing her daughter to have a high fever and cough a lot. The family took the child to the hospital where the doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia and ordered her to be hospitalized for treatment.

Explaining the reason why respiratory diseases increase in humid weather, Dr. Nguyen Van Giang - Deputy Head of the Department of Respiratory and Lung Diseases, Ha Dong General Hospital - said that humid weather and high humidity create favorable conditions for viruses, bacteria, molds, and parasites to develop.

"For patients with chronic lung disease, poor health combined with environmental factors increases the risk of secondary infection as well as stimulates the reappearance of acute lung disease," Dr. Giang stated.

Be careful of skin fungus, atopic dermatitis

Doctors at Ha Dong General Hospital examine patients - Photo: BVCC

At the Central Dermatology Hospital these days, the number of patients coming for examination due to skin fungus, allergic dermatitis, etc. has doubled compared to usual.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Ha Vinh, Central Dermatology Hospital, said that recently the hospital has recorded many patients, especially those with skin fungus (also known as ringworm, pityriasis versicolor) increasing in humid weather.

Skin fungus is common in people who sweat a lot, have poor personal hygiene, share clothes, wear damp clothes, etc. Skin fungus is common in young people who are very active.

In addition, for people with atopic dermatitis, humid weather makes the disease worse, especially in young children.

Doctor Vinh noted that when seeing their children have itchy rashes or spots, some parents often seek out folk remedies such as bathing in salt water, leaf water, etc. In fact, leaves can have antiseptic properties, but if used too much, it can dry out the skin and remove the protective lipid layer of the skin. In addition, leaves and salt water contain some ingredients that make the skin condition worse.

"There are many cases where parents bring their children in with severe dermatitis after using folk remedies of unknown origin, causing the children to have atopic dermatitis accompanied by other bacterial and viral infections, severe conditions, and long-term treatment.

Another common mistake is that parents buy topical medications and creams with unknown ingredients, which may contain corticosteroids... which are not suitable for treatment. Therefore, when children have unusual skin manifestations, parents should take them to a medical facility for timely diagnosis and treatment to avoid unfortunate complications," Dr. Vinh advised.

How to prevent disease

Doctors recommend that during the changing seasons and humid weather, people should wear masks when leaving the house to prevent disease.

You can use a dehumidifier to create dryness, or turn on the air conditioner in dry mode to reduce humidity, maintaining air humidity at 40-60% is best. Clothes need to be dried thoroughly to avoid creating conditions for mold to grow.

In addition, pay attention to the floor and glass doors, which are places where water easily accumulates, causing dampness and slipperiness, making it dangerous to move around, so they need to be wiped regularly with a dry cloth. Limit opening the door so that humid air can enter the house.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/troi-nom-am-keo-dai-nguoi-mac-benh-ho-hap-da-lieu-gia-tang-2024031913054447.htm