The impact of climate change on the environment, biosphere and biodiversity has become increasingly evident in recent years, even the health of the Earth’s population being threatened. And people with lung disease are at even greater risk. Here’s what thunderstorm asthma is and how it can affect us.
What is thunderstorm asthma and how it affects us
Climate change and related global warming are affecting the amount, intensity, and frequency of precipitation, as well as the frequency of extreme events such as heat waves, droughts, storms, floods, and hurricanes. And the health of the human body is threatened by these changes.
Respiratory health can be particularly affected, which contributes to the development of allergic respiratory diseases and asthma. And people living with lung disease face even greater risks.
Weather changes are bad for us
Climate change impacts the air we breathe by increasing the risk of worsening air pollution, including ozone and particulate matter pollution.
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As temperatures rise, warmer air contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, sometimes called smog, which is a powerful air pollutant. Ozone irritates the lungs and acts like a sunburn on the lungs, which can trigger an asthma attack.
Therefore, doctors are issuing warnings about this new type of asthma: storm asthma, brought on by climate change, and recommend wearing masks when going outside.
“We warn in this period, being the climate change, that there is the so-called asthma of storms, moment in the whirlwinds raise the allergens in the atmosphere, they break, very small particles appear that can penetrate deep into the airways and can cause severe bronchial obstructions, moment in which we are seeing an increase in addressability in emergency systems of people suffering from asthma.
It is recommended to wear a mask when we go out, even if it is no longer fashionable,” said Adriana Nicolae, primary allergist, on Antena 3 CNN.
At the same time, allergic rhinitis is common during this period, which can often be confused with colds. Both conditions have some similar symptoms but are treated differently: stuffy nose, sneezing, runny nose and sometimes cough.
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