The fact that the air quality in our country is “filthy” is international news and the point of a political debate in the US. As winter sets in, it just gets worse with the air quality deteriorating with each passing day.
Ambient or outdoor air pollution has become a major cause of death and disease globally. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths globally are linked to ambient air pollution, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. The health effects range from increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits, to increased risk of premature death.
According to Dr. Sandeep Nayar, Senior Director & Head of Department, Chest and Respiratory Diseases, BLK Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi, as winter months approach, the poor air quality will worsen the severity of a pre-existing respiratory condition. “It can cause high fever, watery eyes and even injury to lungs and different important organs. Conjointly exposed to smoke would mean that the symptoms can become acute and the intensity of inflammation and injury can double,” he adds.
Air pollution can lead to what is termed as reduced ‘vital capacity’. Vital capacity is the maximum amount of air a person can expel from the lungs after a maximum inhalation. Both ambient air pollution and household air pollution accelerate respiratory tract infections. “In worse conditions, the pollution particles can even result in potentially harmful effects leading to heart diseases, lung cancer and asthma attacks,” says Dr Nayar.
PANDEMIC PROBLEMS
The pandemic has only worsened the situation. It is well-documented that COVID-19 is often more severe in people who are over 60 years of age and with co-morbidities such as lung or heart diseases, diabetes, prolonged bronchitis. These are conditions that affect their immune system.
“Covid -19 tends to affect the lungs mostly and some people get post-covid fibrosis. As a result, these people may have low oxygen levels due to weak and fibrosed lungs,” explains Dr. Avdhesh Bansal, Senior Consultant, Department of Respiratory, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
With age, the functional capacity of organs, decrease. “The elderly are more vulnerable to chest infections than the general population. Clearly, Covid patients have to take extra care. It might take up to three months for them to make a full recovery. Though some may never recover fully,” says Dr Bansal, also a patron of SeekMed, a global telemedicine platform. In this time of the pandemic when people are wary of stepping out telemedicine portals such as SeekMed, allows patients from anywhere in the world to seek medical advice.
Even after you have recovered from COVID-19, it is very important to pay attention to the warning signs. Consult your doctor if you feel shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches and confusion. “After recovering from COVID-19, the body may have got immunised to a certain degree from the disease, but it is most likely temporary. Hence, it is recommended to continue wearing the face covers or face masks in public places and practice social distancing,” reiterates Dr. Nayar.
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
While the long-term measures would include the government coming down heavily on polluting vehicles and farm fires, short-term measures can be adopted at home.
Follow certain precautionary measures such as not going outdoors during peak hours. “Ideally senior citizens should not venture out when the air quality is bad. If at all they have to go out, then it should be after sunrise and before sunset,” says Dr. Bansal.
Keep your home clean and don’t allow any of your family members to smoke inside the house. Ensure you place your shoes outside your living area or at your doorstep. There are various varieties of air masks that are available in the market but not all of them are effective against air pollution. Only N95 masks are effective in combatting air pollution, not surgical masks.
You can use air purifiers but for it to be effective keep all the windows and doors closed. Air purifiers have micro filters, which extracts harmful substances from the room and circulates fresh air. Even though experts maintain that there is no scientific evidence behind how beneficial an air purifier can be, what is undeniable is that they often maintain the AQI (air quality index) within permissible level. It also depends on the monitors installed in the purifiers, which can show you the exact AQI level.
This winter don’t let the air pollution hamper your health.