Kolkata: Hospitals across the city are flooded with patients complaining of respiratory problems. In elderly patients, doctors are finding it an exacerbation of conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. The spike in COPD cases started about three weeks ago and the count is increasing daily. Many are also landing in the ICUs.
According to doctors, respiratory ailments are common during the winter, when a number of viruses thrive with the rise in pollution level adding to the woe. However, the number of such patients had significantly dipped during the pandemic as people stayed indoors and used the mask in case they had to step out. The air quality had also improved during the pandemic due to less pollution.
“Our respiratory ICU has been running full for about three weeks. Poor air quality, pollen and the chill trigger conditions like asthma and COPD. But during the pandemic, the complaints were fewer as people stayed indoors and used the mask. This is the reason why there is a spike in respiratory complaints this year,” said Raja Dhar, director (pulmonology) at CMRI. “Around 75 per cent of those in the ICU are the elderly with comorbidities,” added Dhar.
“For the past two weeks, there has been a manifold rise in patients with both upper and lower respiratory diseases. Most of those who are requiring intensive care are elderly with comorbidities,” said pulmonologist Debraj Jash of Apollo Multispecialty Hospital.
Even as COPD is a chronic ailment, the condition sees a flare-up during winter months. While pollution is the cause of such exacerbation, viral infections can also aggravate the condition. “Patients with respiratory diseases (apart from Covid) were significantly better during the pandemic. Winter is always bad for these patients. At present, our hospital’s emergency, OPD and IPD are full of patients with respiratory ailment,” said pulmonologist Sushmita Roy Chowdhury of Fortis Hospital, Anandapur.
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