Child and elderly patients increase in the hot season

ABO - In nearly one month, child and elderly patients in the Tien Giang province General Hospital increased in the hot season. In particular, the children and elderly are the two most affected groups of health. There are some outstanding diseases such as respiratory tract infections, diarrhea in children and cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders in the elderly.

Doctor Huynh Cong Thanh examines the child patient.

According to doctor Huynh Cong Thanh, Department of Pediatrics, Tien Giang province General Hospital, the hot weather in the past few days was the main cause of increasing child patients for treatment and hospitalization in some diseases, such as respiratory infections and dyspepsia chemical. There are 40% to 50% of child patients being respiratory diseases, especially children under five years old.

The second disease is gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea. Many very young children are hospitalized in the state of vomiting, diarrhea leading to dehydration, electrolytes. The hospital must rehydrate children with infusion.

According to Thanh, acute diarrhea is still one of the leading causes of death for children due to dehydration and electrolytes. Diarrhea is also the cause of malnutrition in children, affecting their growth.

The elderly are waiting for examination at hospital. Photo: THUY HA

According to doctor Cao Hong Nhu, Head of the Department of Examination, the Tien Giang province General Hospital, the department received an average of more than 2,000 patients per day. However, the hot peak days of the past days caused the number of patient going for medical examination to increase by nearly 3,000 times a day. In which, the disease increases mainly in children and the elderly with the main diseases in the elderly as hypertension, digestive disorders, cardiovascular.

To prevent disease, protect health in this hot weather condition, doctors recommended: Drinking plenty of water, enough water; not drinking a lot of ice because it can cause sore throat; limiting out during the sun peak from 10 to 15 hours per day.

If it is necessary to go outside during sunny weather, people should wear a heat-resistant hat, jacket, and mask; eating cooked food; drinking boiled water; eating liquid food which is easy to be digestible and avoiding eating too full; eating a lot of succulent fruit; avoiding sudden change of environment (from air-conditioned room out) to avoid dangerous heat shock, etc...

By THUY HA – Translated by HOANG AN