Many people hospitalized due to heat
The intense heat wave of recent days, coinciding with the extended holiday, has caused an increase in the number of people admitted to hospitals in Hanoi. At the Outpatient Department of Bach Mai Hospital, the number of patients with cardiovascular, joint and neurological conditions has doubled compared to before.
Doctor Dong Van Thanh, Examination Department, Bach Mai Hospital, ch.o know that only patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, blood pressure has exceeded 30% compared to normal days, especially coronary artery disease. The reason is that the weather affects the patient's blood pressure to be unstable, especially in chronic patients, patients after intervention, heart valve disease, heart failure... progressing severely, having acute pain, having to go to the emergency room.
Moreover, hot weather also causes people's living habits to change. In particular, heart failure patients who drink more water will increase their circulating volume, leading to more severe failure.
Although the patient rooms in Bach Mai Hospital have air conditioning, due to the large number of patients, almost every family has a fan. Photo:NP
Similarly, at the Examination Department of the Geriatric Hospital, the number of patients coming in for examination has increased quite a lot and is mainly due to high blood pressure, chronic diseases, etc. According to doctors, normally during hot spells like the past two days, the number of patients does not increase much but the number of severe cases accounts for a high percentage because there are many cases of high blood pressure, stroke, and accidents.
Besides the elderly and people with chronic diseases, children are also a group that is easily affected by the weather. The pediatric department of Bach Mai Hospital has also recorded a large number of children coming for examination in recent days.
Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of the hospital's Pediatrics Department, said that normally when the weather is hot for a long time, there will be fewer patients because viruses and mosquitoes are killed. But the recent hot weather coincided with a long holiday, many families went out, so the number of patients coming to see a doctor tended to increase. Among them, we must mention traveler's diarrhea, which often appears in people traveling from areas with good hygiene and economic conditions to areas with not so good conditions (from cities to rural, remote areas, from rich areas to poor areas).
“Another reason is that when tourists go on winter vacation, the rooms are full, leading to overcrowding in tourist areas. Therefore, hygiene and accommodation conditions may be poor, which can easily lead to diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and diarrhea caused by rotavirus…”, Associate Professor Dung said.
Besides diarrhea, gathering in large numbers in one place and the stuffy air can easily spread coughs, colds, etc. The heat makes many people's resistance weaker, making them susceptible to viral fevers and respiratory diseases.Therefore, it is predicted that in the next 2-3 days, the number of patients with viral fever and respiratory diseases will increase and account for the majority, because these diseases need time to develop.
Dr. Pham Nhat An, Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital, also said that some viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus are often present in the nose and throat. When people get cold, the virus will cause diseases such as sore throat and flu. On hot days, many people sit in air conditioning, under fans, and bathe more, which are favorable conditions for the virus to develop.
Therefore, according to experts, to prevent disease, people with chronic diseases must take medicine regularly, especially the elderly who often forget. In the summer, they should drink 1.5-3 liters of water, especially the elderly need to set a predetermined amount of water to drink.
Notably, there are many cases of people trying to drink a lot of water, even when they are not thirsty, because they think that drinking more water is better, but in reality, it affects their health. The reason is that the body cannot tolerate it, leading to cerebral edema and headaches, and at the same time the body has to filter it to expel it, causing edema and sluggishness. Drinking a lot of water is good, but it must be estimated and not mandatory for everyone, especially those who drink a lot of water without sweating, they must be careful. If you drink to the point where you cannot absorb it, you should not continue.
Patients with heart failure should control their fluid intake and drink only when thirsty. If you have to take blood pressure medication with diuretics, you should still take it.
If you have the means, you should stay in the air conditioner at 27-28 degrees Celsius and avoid going outside during peak sun hours. The heat weakens the body's resistance and makes it susceptible to viral fever and respiratory diseases, so you should not gather in crowded, stuffy places. People with chronic diseases must take medication regularly as prescribed, especially the elderly.
According to Express
