NE HEALTH BUREAU
MUMBAI, JAN 14
The air quality in Mumbai city and suburbs as well as Thane and Navi Mumbai has reached a critical level, making it dangerous for patients with respiratory and heart ailments in the city, according to medical sources.
The low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea has been experiencing unseasonal rains & extreme heat for the past one week, with five of the eight air quality monitoring centres reported to be extremely polluted, according to Safar.
Air pollution is the first blow to the human respiratory system. Lung cancer is caused by unclean air entering the body through inhalation, which can lead to various types of heart disease. Heart disease, which has remained the leading cause of death at the global level for the last 20 years, is now killing more people than ever before, according to the World Health Organization.
People living in a polluted environment suffer from relatively frequent heart attacks.
Giving more information about this, Director of Shushrusha Heart Care and Multispeciality Hospital in Nerul and Cardiologist Dr Sanjay Tarlekar said, “Though the relentless spread of coronavirus around the globe has grabbed everyone’s attention, people with heart disease need to be extra attentive as they have a greater risk of developing COVID-19. Coronavirus affects the respiratory system, mainly the lungs. But it could also influence the heart, especially a diseased heart that has already been struggling to get the oxygenated blood throughout the body. So, heart patients need to take additional, reasonable precautions in such climate.
“The population of cities in India has crossed a threshold and air pollution is increasing in major cities of our country, mainly in Mumbai and Delhi, but we do not have the severity of the diseases caused by air pollution. They cause Inflammation of the lungs and, more importantly, damage to the blood vessels and the heart. Pollutants such as ultrafine, which are excreted in the air, interfere with the blood flow in the arteries. High blood pressure is a common cause of high blood pressure in Germany, according to research in Germany.
“This type of blood pressure is more common in women than men. Increased blood pressure initiates atherosclerosis, which causes the blood vessels to harden. Further, it has the opposite effect of exacerbating heart disease. Citizens with heart disease need to stay away from polluted air so that it does not get worse.”
Giving more information about air pollution as well as indoor pollution is causing respiratory disorders, Pulmonologist from Apex Group of Hospitals from Borivali Dr Jignesh Patel says, “Contamination caused by indoor sprays, perfumes, mosquito-borne incense sticks as well as coils directly affects children’s lungs. Air is the foundation of life. Clean air is essential for staying healthy. Changes in the structure of the air have become a serious threat to health. Pollution is the most dangerous aspect in India and we are lagging behind other countries in the fight against pollution. In 2019, 1.7 million people were killed in air pollution in India and the only thing we can do is stop air pollution for six months during the Corona transition.”
