"I lost weight after coughing for just a week and was tired"
Recorded at the Examination Department, Central Lung Hospital in November, the air is always crowded and bustling. Hundreds of patients and their families are sitting in rows of waiting chairs, many of whom are elderly with tired and worried faces. Prolonged cold and humid weather has become a factor that causes lung diseases to recur and become more complicated.
Waiting for his turn to see a doctor, Mr. Pham Thanh Hai (65 years old, Hung Yen) could not hide his fatigue. For more than a week now, he has been continuously coughing, weakening his body and losing weight rapidly.
"The constant weight loss, fatigue and coughing while lying down made me very worried. I went to the local doctor but felt unconfident in the diagnosis, so the children took me to the upper level for more careful examination to feel secure," Mr. Hai shared.
He was initially diagnosed with suspected pneumonia, but when his condition did not subside but showed more severe signs, his family decided to take him directly to the central level.
Sharing the same concern is Ms. Do Thi Huong (73 years old, Quang Ninh), who has lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for nearly 50 years. For her, every time she "goes out into the sky", especially during the current moistures, she has to face difficulty breathing, especially breast tenderness.
"If I used to often cough, feel tired and have difficulty breathing, then from 2019 to now, thanks to regular treatment and medication at the hospital, my condition has stabilized a lot," said Ms. Huong.
However, this cold and humid spell also caused her to cough for a month now, her voice is still hanging. Thanks to compliance with treatment, her shortness of breath was better controlled and was no longer as severe as before.
Elderly people and people with underlying diseases are the most at risk
According to doctors, sudden changes in weather are ideal conditions for viruses and bacteria that cause respiratory diseases to thrive. In particular, high humidity in the air makes the respiratory tract lining weak, creating an opportunity for pathogens to invade.
Speaking to reporters, Dr. Nguyen Thi Huyen - Deputy Head of the Examination Department, Central Lung Hospital said that the number of patients coming for examination and treatment at the hospital has increased significantly.
"Compared to normal days, the number of patients increased by about 20-30%, mainly diseases such as bronchitis, COPD, bronchitis and especially pneumonia. We have recorded many cases of viral pneumonia with Bacterial infections, patients coming to the hospital in relatively severe condition," Dr. Huyen informed.
Dr. Huyen emphasized that the group of people most affected by this type of weather is the elderly (over 65 years old), children under 2 years old and people with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, COPD. The resistance of these groups is often weaker, making the disease more likely to progress and increasing the risk of dangerous complications.
To proactively prevent the disease, experts recommend that people, especially high-risk groups, need to keep their bodies warm, especially the neck, chest and legs. Limit going out in cold weather, if necessary, wear a mask to avoid inhaling cold and polluted air.
It is necessary to ensure adequate nutrition to increase resistance. When unusual symptoms such as prolonged cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, fatigue appear, the patient needs to go to a medical facility immediately for timely examination and treatment to avoid serious and dangerous disease.
