Variation in temperature may cause complications

Islamabad :A significant variation in temperature between day and night is being observed in this region of the country these days that according to health experts may cause a number of health threats both for healthy persons and chronic patients if they do not take extra ordinary preventive measures at the time.

In case of healthy persons, the health threats may be mild to moderate but for chronic patients particularly with heart diseases, hypertension, high blood pressure and asthma, the variation in temperature may cause serious complications.

Every year, at the time of setting in of winter particularly from November to December, the upper and lower respiratory tract infections take the shape of epidemic in the region mainly because majority of people do not take serious preventive measures to safeguard themselves and their children from bad effects of temperature variation, said Deputy Director at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’.

In winter, vasoconstriction, the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels causes complications for patients with coronary heart disease when they breathe in cold air, he said. It is important to mention here that vasoconstriction increases blood pressure.

Studies reveal that the lungs function best in warm and humid weather. When you stay outside in extreme cold weather, you may find it difficult to breathe. Symptoms are worse if you have lung disease. The best course of action is to stay indoors and seek immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain when outside in cold weather.

Breathing cold air through either the nose or the mouth causes airways to constrict and it causes difficulty in breathing mainly because the airways get tightened. Some symptoms include dry mouth, wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

Like many health experts, Dr. Khawaja said that elderly people and chronic patients should not come out of homes early in the morning or late at night with uncovered nose as it may affect their health badly. The significant fall in temperature particularly at night and in the morning may cause body pains among people who do not use warm clothing, he said.

He added that in the existing weather conditions, parents should 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 if going outside at night or in the morning, he said.

Dr. Khawaja said children should not be allowed to consume cold drinks and junk foodstuff 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 said.

He added that almost all public sector healthcare facilities along with private hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have started receiving extraordinary burden of patients with seasonal ailments including colds, sore throat, cough, flu and asthmatic problems.