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Surge! A hospital received 310 patients in 4 hours, and it was related to the weather
Sina Finance2025-04-12 19:27Beijing
The weather will change dramatically this weekend, with strong winds, dust storms, heavy rain and snow, and severe convection. In addition to the extreme winds in the north, the southern region will experience the strongest wind and hail weather this year as the cold front rapidly advances southward.
At 6:00 today (April 12), the Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue a yellow warning for severe convective weather. Parts of southern Jiangxi, northeastern Guangxi, northern Guangdong and other places will have thunderstorms and gales above level 10.The Ministry of Emergency Management has launched a severe convective weather warning response for 13 provinces including Hubei and Hunan. Thunder and lightning, strong winds, hail, short-term heavy rainfall, and mixed severe convective weather are coming. In addition to paying attention to warnings and reducing going out, you should also be alert to possible thunderstorm asthma.
More than 6,000 lightning strikes in one night, hundreds of thunderstorm asthma patients rushed to the hospital
Since the early morning of yesterday (April 11), many places in Chongqing have experienced thunderstorms. According to Upstream News, as of 6 a.m. on the 11th, Chongqing had experienced more than 6,000 lightning activities that day. Amid the rumbling thunder, the emergency departments of major hospitals in Chongqing also experienced an unusually busy night.
"Doctor, I can't breathe, I feel like I'm suffocating..." Ihman the early morning of April 11, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University received a total of 310 patients with thunderstorm asthma in just 4 hours.
As of 5 a.m., after intensive all-night emergency treatment, all 310 thunderstorm asthma patients were out of danger, most of them had been discharged from the hospital, and only a small number of patients remained in the hospital for observation.
According to Luo Zhenchun, director of the Nanqiao Temple Department of the Emergency ICU of Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, the hospital's emergency department also received more than 120 patients with thunderstorm asthma from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Why do thunderstorms trigger asthma? What are the symptoms of thunderstorm asthma? How can we prevent and treat it?
Lightning + pollen = thunderstorm asthma?
Thunderstorm asthma refers to an acute attack or aggravation of bronchial asthma that occurs during or immediately after a thunderstorm. It often occurs during the pollen season and can manifest as a large-scale outbreak of asthma in a local area. The main clinical manifestations are cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
Why do thunderstorms trigger asthma?
Zhao Lin, deputy director of the emergency medicine department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, explained that the cold air and strong winds before a thunderstorm can bring pollen and mold particles into the clouds. The moisture and lightning in the clouds cause the pollen and mold particles to burst, releasing smaller particles. These pollen particles are more likely to enter the human respiratory tract because of their small size, and then cause thunderstorm asthma.
It is understood that seasonal allergic rhinitis caused by seasonal pollen allergy is the most sensitive risk factor for thunderstorm asthma. The prevalence of seasonal allergic rhinitis in thunderstorm asthma patients is as high as 60%-99%.
Who are the high-risk groups?
Patients with a history of thunderstorm asthma; patients with a history of asthma and allergies to pollen or mold; patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis; patients who have not been diagnosed with asthma but have positive allergen tests (especially positive for pollen allergens) and a family history of allergic diseases.
What to do after thunderstorm asthma occurs?
Liu Xiaoping, director of the Chest Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Second People's Hospital of Gansu Province, said that when symptoms related to thunderstorm asthma appear, patients can immediately choose anti-allergic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, and bronchodilators, and then use some symptomatic drugs such as cough suppressants. "The use of inhaled glucocorticoids such as budesonide aerosol and bronchodilators such as salbutamol aerosol can quickly take effect and relieve tracheospasm."
If the symptoms do not improve after taking the medicine or continue to worsen, please go to the hospital for treatment in time.
How can thunderstorm asthma be prevented?
1. When a thunderstorm occurs, try to close doors and windows and stay indoors to reduce exposure to pollen; also stay indoors for a while after a thunderstorm.
2. Patients should actively treat pollen allergies to achieve "desensitization" to pollen allergens and prevent the occurrence of allergic asthma.
3. People with allergies can prepare medications for treating allergies and asthma in advance to avoid accidents.
4. After returning from outdoors, you can rinse your nose and face with salt water or clean water; if conditions permit, you can use an air purifier at home.
During the pollen season and before thunderstorms, hospitals need to develop emergency plans and take a number of measures, such as adding staff, stockpiling medicines, and opening temporary wards, to expand medical resources and improve treatment capabilities.
The current period is still the peak period for the spread of allergenic pollen, which coincides with the recent frequent occurrence of severe convective weather. People with allergic constitutions should try to reduce going out during thunderstorms, wear masks when necessary, and carry emergency medicines with them. If symptoms worsen, they need to seek medical attention in time.
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