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| Assoc Prof Lê Tiến Dũng, head of the University Medical Centre in HCM City’s respiratory department examines a patient diagnosed with acute pneumonia. — Photo nld.com.vn |
Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — A sudden fall in temperatures in HCM City in the last few weeks have seen an increasing number of older adults diagnosed with acute pneumonia, doctors said.
Around 1,400 people have been admitted to the People 115 Hospital alone in the last three weeks, with the elderly accounting for 10 per cent, Dr Nguyễn Đình Phú, deputy director of the hospital, said.
The University Medical Centre in HCM City admitted more than 500 emergency cases during Tết (Lunar New Year), with the elderly accounting for most of them.
Pneumonia affects people of all ages, and in young children and people aged above 65 it can become severe, Assoc Prof Lê Tiến Dũng, head of the hospital’s respiratory department, said.
But in elderly people its symptoms are sometimes not clear, he said.
They may not have a fever, causing them to think they are suffering from a cold or the flu, he said.
But complications caused by pneumonia can be life threatening in the elderly, he said.
It can also be severe in patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart and lung diseases, he said.
A sudden change in temperature from extremely hot to extremely cold and vice versa could increase the incidence of pneumonia, particularly among seniors, he said.
Elderly people and those with chronic diseases or weak immunity should regularly wash their hands, get vaccinated, exercise regularly and eat healthy to ward off pneumonia, he added. — VNS
