New Delhi:Delhi's air quality had fallen to "severe" category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining around 400 for quite a few days and now its adverse effects are visible as hospitals in Delhi record a spike in patients with respiratory problems.
According to Dr Karan Madan, Associate Professor, Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, AIIMS Delhi, there has been a 15 to 20 percent increase in the number of patients suffering from respiratory problems in the OPD.
Patients with respiratory problems worst sufferers:
Dr Madan said, "Patients are facing a lot of problems due to air pollution. Those with respiratory diseases like asthma or COPD are having a tough time. Many patients came to the hospital with severe asthma and needed hospitalization".
He advised patients with respiratory problems to avoid outdoor activities. "Doing exercise, often helps. One can exercise indoors so that exposure to air pollution is reduced. If you have asthma, take your inhaler regularly," Dr Madan said.
Know about AQI:
When the AQI is 0-50, it is considered to be in 'good' category, the 51-100 level is 'satisfactory', 101-200 is 'moderate', 201-300 is 'bad' and 301-400 is 'very bad'. When AQI is 400-500 it is considered 'severe' and above 500 is considered 'very severe'.
According to experts, exposure to fine particles (with a diametre of 10 microns or less), ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitric dioxide and carbon monoxide and dioxide can cause breathing problems.
Read more
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