This morning, social networks were filled with pictures that captured the effects of the Saharan dust that was also brought to our country. But what do our lungs say? How does this kind of pollution affect us?
Saharan dust affects people who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis”, the manager of the “Marius Nasta” Institute, Beatrice Mahler, told AGERPRES on Wednesday.
“Saharan dust has a risk of exacerbation in people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases: asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, because it can induce crises of exacerbation of these conditions. The risk of arriving in an emergency room for additional treatment increases by 30% for these patients in the next five days after exposure. For those who are at home and know they are sick, it is recommended to additionally use the medication they have already been prescribed by the pulmonologist for particular situations, such as this one,” said the doctor.
According to the manager, in healthy people the body has the ability to eliminate the surplus of particles if the exposure is of short duration.
The doctor also said that it is not recommended to do outdoor sports at such times with Saharan dust.
“What is not recommended in such moments is to do sports in the open air, to increase the pulmonary ventilation, because at that moment the body will have as a priority to oxygenate the body and not to protect the body. It is preferable to avoid the effort in the open air at the moment when there are warnings of this type. Otherwise, healthy people have no special measures that they should follow”, explained the doctor.
