Hospitals see a spurt in heart & asthma patients...

Noida: Both government and private hospitals are seeing an increase in asthma and heart disease patients across Noida and Ghaziabad due to the intense cold wave conditions in Delhi-NCR over the past few weeks.
Doctors said continuous exposure to cold and dry air worsens existing respiratory conditions and brings up new cases of weather-induced asthma. The cold wave, they added, also contracts blood vessels in the heart and blocks arteries, causing improper blood flow and heart-related problems and ultimately triggering a heart attack.
Doctors said that asthma involves inflammation in the airways, which may worsen in winter, and cause symptoms like breathlessness and coughing in patients. Existing asthma patients get in trouble if they do not take proper measures against the cold, they added.
“We are seeing more asthma patients at the OPD, who are getting treated with medicines, but no severity has been seen so far in any patient,” said Dr Pawan Kumar, chief medical superintendent of DCH, Noida.
Heart patients should also protect themselves from the cold. Doctors added that stress management and checking cholesterol and blood sugar levels could also help reduce the chances of cardiac arrest.
“The increase in the number of heart patients visiting doctors during the winter is because the heart has to work harder to maintain a healthy body temperature. It is important for people to protect themselves by dressing properly, exercising regularly and checking their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar at regular intervals,” said Dr Bimal Chhajer, a cardiologist in Noida.
Across hospitals, doctors reported a nearly 20% increase in patients visiting them with heart-related problems and breathing trouble over the past week.
Orthopaedic doctors also reported a similar increase in patients with complaints of arthritis and muscular pain. Most complaints are related to lower back, knee, neck and shoulder pain, they said.
“During the winter, blood circulation in the muscle slows down and causes muscular spasms, resulting in joint pain. Certain types of arthritis aggravate in winter. In young patients, muscular pain is commonly seen during this season while elderly patients mostly report arthritis,” said Dr Akhilesh Yadav, director, orthopaedic and joint replacement, Max Hospital, Vaishali.
He said when people skip exercise routines and ongoing medication, the problems increase.