Dubai: Medical professionals urged residents to don face masks, and rush to the nearest medical facility in case they face breathing difficulties.
While Thursday’s dust storm is most likely to affect those with existing respiratory conditions, other people are also at risk, doctors have said.
The dense dust blanket brought on by freak weather is likely to cause health complications and doctors are advising people to use face masks and rush to their nearest medical facility in case they face breathing problems.
Dr Chacko George, senior physician and pulmonologist from RAK Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah said their outpatient clinic was witnessing a high volume of patients complaining of chest tightness, nose blocks, nose bleeds, irritant cough and breathlessness.
He told Gulf News: “People who are confirmed asthma patients and the geriatric population are advised to say indoors. The reaction to fine dust particles is two fold. On the one hand the fine dust particles are inhaled and reach the bottom of the lung triggering allergic reaction, and second the dust itself is an irritant that causes irritant cough. Those with asthma and those with chronic lung disease (smokers) are especially at high risk.”
Dr Anup Agarwal, specialist at the LLH Hospital in Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah area, added that: “I have seen a 60 per cent increase compared to normal days in the number of patients reporting breathing difficulties. Many are also suffering from wheezing in the chest. Patients with respiratory conditions might need nebulisation, and some may require an increased dose of their medications.”
Dr Agarwal cautioned: “Breathing difficulties can arise as the fine dust in the air accumulates in the lungs and restricts the supply of oxygen to the bloodstream. In such cases, people must rush to the nearest health care facility to avoid an acute asthma attack.”
Elaborating on how the dust particles cause respiratory disease and allergies, Dr Atul Aundhekar, chief medical officer of iCare Clinics, explained: “The best defence our body has against external disease causing stimuli is our skin and our mucous membrane. When there is a dust haze like this, our skin and mucous membrane gets irritated as these dust particles carry viral debris causing microbial infections and allergies. If your skin is cracked or there are ulcers, then you are likely to get skin infections and allergies as the microbes get easy entry. Even if your skin is intact one is likely to be affected by skin allergies causing urticaria (a rash of rounded red veals on the skin with a very strong itch). If the dust is inhaled, it causes respiratory allergies.”
Both Dr George and Dr Agarwal advised people to stay indoors and make use of home remedies like a gargle and steam inhalation morning and before going to bed in the night, to keep the respiratory tract free of dust allergens.
