The outpatient clinic was full after the rainstorm. It turns out that this is the reason! You should know these things about thunderstorm asthma

The number of patients with cough and asthma has increased sharply, and a large number of citizens have gone to the hospital for treatment. The respiratory department and emergency department of the local hospital are overcrowded. Why are there so many patients with similar symptoms coming to the hospital at the same time? The number of patients with cough and asthma has increased sharply, and a large number of citizens have gone to the hospital for treatment. The respiratory department and emergency department of the local hospital are overcrowded. Why are there so many patients with similar symptoms coming to the hospital at the same time?

What is thunderstorm asthma?

Thunderstorm asthma events refer to acute attacks or exacerbations of bronchial asthma that occur during or immediately after thunderstorms. They can manifest as large-scale outbreaks of asthma in local areas, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, and in severe cases, life-threatening. Almost all thunderstorm asthma events occur during the peak pollen season. Thunderstorms not only cause acute attacks in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but also cause asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing in ordinary people.

Why can thunderstorms also exacerbate allergies?

Thunderstorm asthma occurs during pollen season. Some studies suggest that cold air currents before thunderstorms can carry pollen or mold particles into the clouds. Moisture in the clouds and lightning cause the pollen particles to burst, releasing smaller particles.

Pollen particles that return to the ground are smaller and more easily enter the respiratory tract. In addition, the strong electric field generated by thunderstorms may increase the allergenicity of allergens released by pollen, making them more harmful.

Simply put, the strong wind before the thunderstorm brings the pollen to the sky, and then the thunderstorm breaks the pollen into pieces. These pollen pieces carry the strong electric field generated by the thunderstorm, and finally flexibly drill into your nasal cavity, causing 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%, of which 70% show moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.

How to prevent it?

First of all, it is recommended to close doors and windows and stay indoors when a thunderstorm occurs. More importantly, you should stay indoors for a while even if the sun is shining after a thunderstorm, because the evaporation of rainwater will bring a large number of small particles broken by the thunderstorm into the air.

Secondly, if young people or asthma patients without underlying diseases have difficulty breathing during the thunderstorm season, they should prepare some drugs for treating allergies and asthma, such as loratadine, cetirizine, and Symbicort, at home. According to the instructions of the drugs, you can treat some mild asthma symptoms at home. If the symptoms cannot be relieved after taking the drugs, please go to a regular hospital for treatment in time.

At the same time, patients should actively treat pollen allergies to prevent the occurrence of allergic asthma. It is recommended to receive preventive pollen allergen-specific immunotherapy to form "immune tolerance" to pollen allergens and achieve "desensitization". In addition, during the thunderstorm season of the pollen season, try to reduce pollen contact and use anti-allergic drugs preventively to avoid accidents.

Finally, you can rinse your nose and face with salt water or clean water after returning from the outdoors. If conditions permit, you can use an air purifier.