Many people suffered strokes and heart attacks due to record cold.

During 3 days of severe cold, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) received more than 20 patients with stroke, myocardial infarction... more than before due to the sudden cold weather.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hien, Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital, said that in the past few days of severe cold, the number of patients coming to the hospital due to sudden cold weather-related diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, etc. has tended to increase, including many young people who may think they are still young and healthy, so they are subjective. The 45 beds in the Intensive Care Unit are full of patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis. In the Emergency Department, doctors are also always busy because of the continuous influx of patients.

At the Pediatrics Department, the number of children coming to the clinic tends to increase during the cold days, mainly due to respiratory diseases; most of them are young children. There was a baby less than a month old who had just started coughing, had difficulty breathing, and was wheezing when he was admitted to the emergency room with pneumonia.

The cold weather has caused many people to suffer strokes and heart attacks and have been hospitalized. Patients are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit. Photo: N. Phuong.

According to Mr. Duong Duc Hung, Head of the General Planning Department, Bach Mai Hospital, more than 20 patients suffered from strokes and myocardial infarctions, which increased dramatically due to the sudden cold weather. These cases often occur in the elderly; some people get up from warm blankets to urinate, and when they get cold, their blood vessels suddenly constrict, leading to strokes.

When it's cold, blood vessels constrict, causing blood pressure to rise, and complications can occur. In addition, other factors such as suddenly getting out of a warm blanket, encountering a cold wind, urinating... all cause the body to lose more heat. It is this sudden change in the body that causes blood vessels to constrict, increasing blood pressure. At that time, for people with cardiovascular disease, complications such as ruptured blood vessels in the brain, angina, myocardial infarction... appear more often.

The number of children coming to Bach Mai Hospital for examination during the 3 days of severe cold tends to increase, many children under 6 months old have pneumonia. Photo: N. Phuong.

Since mid-December, when unusual cold spells were forecast, Bach Mai Hospital had a plan to prevent cold. The hospital carried out maintenance and installed two-way air conditioners in important areas such as the pediatrics department, maternity ward, emergency room, intensive care unit, etc. At the same time, it repaired houses, replaced broken glass, and ensured airtightness; provided additional blankets and mattresses for patients to ensure they were warm enough. Relatives were also allowed to bring blankets and mattresses; in special cases, with a guaranteed power source, fans and heaters could be brought into the patient's room.

Mrs. Vu Thi Sang, 67 years old, from Y Yen, Nam Dinh - taking care of her husband who is in the Emergency Department, covered herself with two blankets to cope with the cold weather in the past few days. Photo: N. Phuong.

It is forecasted that in the coming days, the North will continue to be cold, with many places still having sub-zero temperatures. Therefore, doctors recommend that when going out in cold weather, you must wear enough warm clothes, wear many thin layers to keep your body temperature stable, and can be easily removed when hot, suitable for changing weather. Pay attention to keeping your head, neck, chest and feet warm. Avoid going out at night and changing positions suddenly, avoid drafts. When waking up, you need to get out of bed slowly, and wear enough warm clothes; you should not get up at 4-5am because blood pressure often increases at that time.

People with high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic diseases need physical activity. Therefore, even in cold weather, try to maintain regular exercise. It is important to have a reasonable warm-up period, especially the period of warming up the body, then remove some clothes and maintain regular exercises. On rainy, cold days like the past few days, you should exercise indoors, do not exercise outdoors before 6:30 am to avoid catching a cold.

According to VNE