The cold and chilly weather during winter aggravates asthma. Asthma causes inflammation of the airway, obstructing the entry of oxygen into the lungs.
The triggers for asthma vary from person to person and the affected person should identify the triggers and take extreme care to avoid them.
Air borne substances like pollen of flowers and dust mites and non-allergic causes like stress, illness, cold and extreme weather can aggravate the problem in patients. There is no cure for asthma but with regular and proper use of medicines, patients can lead normal lives.
The symptoms include: difficulty in breathing, wheezing, breathing through the mouth and shortness of breath at night. Asthma patients should avoid going out before the smog clears in the morning and during the evenings in the chilly weather.
When they have no other option, they should take precautions to protect themselves from the cold winds.
“During winter, the presence of smog (smoke combined with fog) during the early morning hours and evenings aggravates asthma in patients. In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients also, cold winds precipitate the condition. There is, however, pneumococcal vaccine for prevention of COPD. There is no such vaccine in the case of asthma,” according to G. Sambasiva Rao, Superintendent of the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases.
B. Madhu Gopal
