Variation in temperature during day and night may cause complications

Rawalpindi
A great variation in temperature during day and night in this region of the country may cause a number of health threats, mainly mild to moderate, among healthy people but serious complications among chronic patients if they do not take extra care in the wake of setting in of winter.
It is generally observed that most people do not take serious preventive measures to safeguard themselves and their children from health threats at the time of setting in of winter in result of which upper and lower respiratory tract infections take the shape of epidemic in the region every year in November and December.
Almost all public sector healthcare facilities along with private hospitals in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi start receiving extraordinary burden of patients with seasonal ailments every year soon after setting in of winter. Experts believe it is so mainly because of lack of awareness among public on how to avoid winter related health threats.
It is not the cold weather but the ignorance among public that causes rise in number of cases of colds, sore throat, cough, flu and asthmatic problems in adults and upper and lower respiratory tract infections including pneumonia among children, said Medical Superintendent at Holy Family Hospital Dr. Shafiq Sarwar while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday.
He added that majority of patients with heart diseases, hypertension, high blood pressure and other chronic ailments have to face complications due to bad affects of cold weather mainly because they are unaware of the impact of cold and chilly weather conditions on their health.
In winter, vasoconstriction, the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels may cause complications for patients with coronary heart disease and they should not come out of homes early in the morning or late at night with uncovered nose as it may affect badly, suggested Dr. Shafiq.
He said with the fall in temperature, the number of cases being registered at the healthcare facilities with dengue fever has started falling but if people would not take precautionary measures well in time, the allied hospitals in town have to face extraordinary burden of patients with seasonal ailments.
Sharp fall in temperature particularly at night and in the morning may cause body pains among people who do not use warm clothing, said Deputy Director at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’.
He added it is time for parents to take extra care in cases of children particularly those going to schools early in the morning when temperature is fallen to a significant level. Children should be covered properly in warm clothes in the morning, he said.
Children should not allow use of cold drinks and junk food at the time of setting in of winter instead they should be given hot drinks including ‘Qahwa’ and ‘Yakhni’. Parents should provide quality food to children as malnourished children are more prone to catch winter-related health threats including pneumonia, he believes.
He said patients after contracting any of the seasonal ailments including colds and flu should stay at home and take rest properly instead of giving germs to others at their workplaces.