:quality(75)/cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Co6ikFnJ/poster.jpg "EsSalud | Climate Change Can Bring Respiratory Conditions That End In Severe Pneumonia | nnpp | PERU")
The Social Health Insurance (EsSalud) He warned that climate change can cause numerous respiratory conditions and end in severe pictures if they are not treated in time. Among the most common conditions caused by climate change are colds, flu processes and exacerbations of allergic rhinitis.
“In the months when the seasons change, we see an increase in cases of patients with respiratory infections because there are seasonal viruses that, in these times, are easier to spread. In general medicine, internal medicine and pulmonology, a statistic of around 35% increase in cases and consultations is handled “said Dr. Álvaro Bejarano, a pulmonologist physician at the Rebagliati Hospital.
According to the specialist, these occur with nasal congestion, itching at the level of the eyes or skin and a runny nose. In the case of asthma patients, they tend to have bronchospasm and experience shortness of breath, which are usually relieved with the use of the inhaler. When these conditions are not controlled and treated in time, the symptoms of the flu can trigger respiratory complications.
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“What we have to avoid is that patients self-medicate or forget the warning signs. As simple as a cold or the flu may seem, both can end in severe cases, especially in the case of the flu, since we have critically ill patients who come to the Intensive Care Unit with a high mortality rate.”, Specified the specialist in pulmonology.
Respiratory processes
If it is normally advisable to avoid self-medication and visit a specialist to achieve a specific diagnosis and treatment, in times of health emergency due to COVID-19 this recommendation becomes mandatory, according to EsSalud.
The flu and coronavirus present very similar processes at the beginning, which is why the pulmonology specialist will have to detect it in time to decide if you need oxygen or some other hospital management. As soon as symptoms appear, the patient must isolate himself, wear a mask, and undergo a COVID diagnostic test.
These days, many tend to mistake the flu for a common cold. The cold is caused by rhinovirus and symptoms are mild, such as sneezing, a runny nose, and perhaps a slight fever or malaise.
However, the flu is a viral influenza disease and its symptoms, in addition to those of the cold, generate other complications such as high fever, above 38 ° C, muscle pain, throat pain, headache, dry cough and general malaise. .
The most common complication of the flu is usually the appearance of secondary infections caused by bacteria, which considerably increase the risk of mortality.
Risk factor’s
Patients who have risk factors for complications of respiratory processes are: pregnant women, children under 5 years old, older adults, patients with chronic conditions (heart, kidney, lung), with immunosuppression such as HIV and cancer patients. All of them are at higher risk of complications such as pneumonia, requiring hospital care or reaching an ICU.
The Edgardo Rebagliati hospital has changed all its management to attend the pandemic. In the area of Medicine, the updated statistics show that Covid management, with high-flow nasal cannulas, has benefited 98 patients with 15 devices, in a period of 35 days. All these patients have passed the critical stage of respiratory diseases and are now out of danger.
