As Delhi turns to be a gas chamber, hospitals are witnessing a rise in OPD patients in the last few days. Delhi's air quality index (AQI) is a national news currently and the situation is worsening day by day.
The severe air condition of Delhi has compelled the government to shut down primary schools in the city from tomorrow till the situation improves.
In view of the worse air quality, hospitals are getting patients with respiratory illnesses with cough, nasal congestion, shortness of breath and even asthma attacks.
AQI is 426
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) is 426 at 9.10 am on Friday which is considered 'severe' and can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing illnesses.
The symptoms commonly seen
As per the inputs given by doctors and health experts, the following symptoms are commonly seen in people staying in Delhi having respiratory issues:
Cough; which can be persistent in nature
Nasal congestion
Breathing difficulty or shortness of breath
Dyspnea
Acute nasal problems
More mucus
Runny nose
Watery eyes
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Asthma attacks
"Currently, I have 25 to 30 patients in my OPD with such conditions and the entire unit/department has approximately 50-75 cases in total. Patients suffering from respiratory illnesses such as COPD, asthma, and others are reporting acute exacerbations, an increase in symptoms such as coughing, dyspnea and acute nasal problems," says Dr Ashish Kumar Prakash, consultant (respiratory and sleep medicine) at Medanta in Gurugram.
“Wear masks, stay indoors”
Doctors have urged patients to continue wearing masks if they are already doing it and resume the habit if they have stopped it.
"People in the habit of wearing masks are getting fewer attacks. It is also very important to note that normal masks do not protect us properly from particulate matter (PM2.5), so wearing an N95 mask with a valve/filter is recommended," Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, director (pulmonology) at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Faridabad said and has urged people to start wearing masks.
(With inputs from PTI)
