Variation in temperature poses major threat to health

Rawalpindi :The winter has set in but still there is a great variation in temperature between day and night in this region of the country that may cause serious health threats both to healthy persons and chronic patients particularly those suffering from heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure and other chronic ailments.

The phenomenon may pose mild to moderate health threats to healthy persons but the chronic patients may suffer from serious complications due to exposure to sharp fall in mercury at night and early in the morning.

Majority of people do not take extra care while spending time outside homes and offices late at night or early in the morning when temperature drops sharply to a significant level.

Almost all healthcare facilities in public and private sectors in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been receiving extraordinary burden of patients with seasonal ailments including upper and lower respiratory tract infections that take the shape of epidemic in the region every year in November and December.

It is not the weather conditions but the ignorance among public that causes rise in number of cases of colds, sore throat, cough, flu, asthmatic problems in adults and upper and lower respiratory tract infections including pneumonia among children while chronic patients suffer from life-threatening complications.

Head of Department of Infectious Diseases at Holy Family Hospital Dr. Muhammad Mujeeb Khan expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on health threats, the cold weather and the variation in temperature between day and night pose to general public.

He said majority of people do not take sudden fall in mercury seriously because they are unaware of bad effects of exposure to extreme cold.

Exposure to extreme cold may cause vasoconstriction, the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels and it may pose serious complications for patients with coronary heart disease particularly when they breathe in cold air.

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, said Dr. Mujeeb.

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.

Health experts say 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.

Dr. Mujeeb said parents should take extra care of children particularly those going to schools early in the morning when temperature falls to a greater level. Malnourished children are at greater risk of contracting winter-related health threats including pneumonia and parents should give quality food to children to avoid seasonal ailments, he said.