These people who are admitted to the hospital are all because of the air conditioner! In the dog days of summer, this is how to use the air conditioner without harming your health

Since the beginning of summer, there have been rounds of high temperatures, with temperatures in many places exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Many netizens joked: "This life is given by the air conditioner."

However, improper use of air conditioning can easily induce a variety of diseases. What should we pay attention to when using air conditioning during the dog days?

These people who are in the hospital

It's all because of the air conditioning.

Sweating profusely and blowing the air conditioner fiercely may cause a heart attack

According to Qianjiang Evening News, recently, 69-year-old Ms. Liu came home from square dancing, sweating profusely. She felt much better after turning on the air conditioner for a few minutes. She kept the air conditioner on all night. However, at around 1 a.m., Ms. Liu suddenly felt chest tightness and discomfort, accompanied by pain under the xiphoid process. The symptoms persisted and could not be relieved. She was rushed to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhejiang Xinhua Hospital) for treatment. The preliminary examination results showed that she had "acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction." [1]

For older people, such drastic temperature changes may induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is recommended that the elderly do not turn the air conditioner too low for the sake of coolness, and do not use the air conditioner directly after strenuous exercise.

If you don't clean the air conditioner, you may get Legionella

Last month, a man in Changsha, Hunan, was driving a car that he had not driven for two months when he suddenly developed a high fever and difficulty breathing. He was rushed to the ICU and diagnosed with Legionella infection. Recently, some people also felt extremely unwell after using the air conditioner at home and were sent to the intensive care unit, and were later diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia.

Dr. Zhang Xiaohong from the Emergency Department of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital said that the peak period of Legionnaires' infection is from June to October every year, especially in August, which may be related to the use of air conditioners that have not been cleaned for a long time. During the air-conditioning process, Legionnaires' bacteria are spread into the air in the form of aerosols and are inhaled by people with low immunity. After an incubation period of 1 to 10 days, the disease breaks out collectively. [2]

Dust mites in air conditioners may induce asthma

According to the Chao News client, recently, college student Xiao Chen (pseudonym) set the air conditioner to just over 20℃ at home, blew cold wind, drank sweet drinks, and played games until late at night. But a few days later, Xiao Chen suddenly felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, and had difficulty breathing. He also made a whistling sound in his throat, which led to an acute asthma attack! His family sent him to Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital for emergency treatment.

Sun Yilan, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, explained that Xiao Chen’s acute asthma attack was caused by two reasons: first, staying up late and catching a cold with the air conditioner on, which made it easier to get a respiratory infection; and second, the air conditioner may have been unused for a long time, which could breed dust mites and trigger an allergic asthma attack. [3]

Long-term use of air conditioning can induce gout

Du Xinru, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, said in an interview with CCTV Finance that if air conditioning is used for a long time, the cold wind stimulation will cause muscle spasms and vasoconstriction disorders, which will easily cause local metabolic disorders and induce symptoms. For example, gout is a disease caused by increased uric acid. Under the stimulation of cold, gout stones are easily formed, inducing acute inflammation and leading to gout attacks. [4]

Using air conditioning in the dog days

Pay attention to 10 points so as not to hurt yourself

In the hot summer, how should we use air conditioning scientifically so that we can enjoy the coolness while avoiding the occurrence of "air-conditioning disease"?

1

Clean the air conditioner before using it

Central air conditioners should be inspected regularly and professional disinfectants should be used to prevent respiratory infections caused by bacteria and mites accumulated in the air conditioner.

You can also try to clean your home desktop air conditioner yourself:

Clean the filter: unplug the power, open the cover of the air conditioner, remove the filter and clean it under running water;

Cleaning the air conditioner radiator:

Choose an air conditioner cleaner with a "National Health Ministry Disinfection Product Certificate Number", spray the heat sink with air conditioner cleaner foam, let it sit for about 15 minutes, install the filter, and run it according to the normal refrigeration program for about 15 to 30 minutes.

It is not recommended to use alcohol to clean the air conditioner!

Although medical alcohol can disinfect and sterilize, it also evaporates quickly and easily forms flammable and explosive gases. If you turn on the air conditioner before it evaporates completely, it can easily be ignited by the starting current and cause an explosion!

2

When entering from outside, do not stand directly under the air conditioner.

When entering indoors from outdoors in the summer, do not stand under the air conditioner to avoid rapid contraction of blood vessels and the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.

3

Do not close doors and windows when turning on the air conditioner

When turning on the air conditioner, do not close the doors and windows temporarily. Let the air flow for a while before closing the doors and windows. When using central air conditioning, the fresh air rate should be increased and a certain amount of air circulation and natural ventilation should be maintained.

4

The air conditioning temperature is set at 26℃ or higher

The air conditioning temperature is generally set at 26°C or higher, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor should not exceed 10°C. This can save energy and prevent colds.

5

Avoid direct cold air from air conditioners

6

It is not advisable to turn on the air conditioner all day long. Turn off the air conditioner regularly and open doors and windows for ventilation.

Don't keep doors and windows closed and use the air conditioner all day long just to keep cool. Instead, turn off the air conditioner after a while and open doors and windows for ventilation.

7

When sleeping at night, turn the air conditioner to night mode

When you go to bed at night, you can set the air conditioner to night mode or turn it off at a scheduled time. The dehumidification function of the air conditioner can make the indoor air drier and the sweat on the body surface evaporates better, thereby lowering the body temperature.

8

Avoid getting cold in the joints, neck, waist and abdomen

When staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time, you should avoid getting your joints, neck, waist and abdomen cold.

9

Pay attention to increase outdoor activities

People who work and live in air-conditioned rooms for a long time should pay attention to increasing outdoor activities.

10

Clean the air conditioner every year

Clean the air conditioner 2 to 3 times a year. It is recommended to clean it before using it in summer, during use, and when it is no longer in use.

References

[1] 2023-07-12 Chao News Client "A woman in Hangzhou was given emergency treatment after being exposed to the air conditioner after square dancing"

[2] 2023-07-10 Chengdu Business Daily Sichuan Famous Doctor "Many people were admitted to the ICU due to air conditioning! Doctors remind: Beware of this type of pneumonia, the incidence rate is as high as 36%"

[3] 2023-07-10 Chao News Client "A 20-year-old boy played games in an air-conditioned room, tragedy! The high temperature has continued recently, and this disease is on the rise!"

[4]2023-07-11 CCTV News·First Time "Health Frontline"

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Source: Health Times

Editor: Yaping

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