[Incheon = Newsis] Reporter Ham Sang-hwan = Spring is a painful season for those with weak respiratory systems as they fly to pollen along with yellow dust fine dust.
In particular, during the change of seasons in spring, when the daily temperature difference is large and the atmosphere becomes dry, the number of people suffering from respiratory diseases such as colds, allergic rhinitis, and asthma increases as immunity decreases and the respiratory mucosa weakens as the body adjusts to seasonal changes.

According to the statistics of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients who visited the hospital for allergic rhinitis in 2022 was about 732,000 and 765,000 in February and March, but it exceeded 1 million in April, up more than 35% from March.

In addition, the number of patients who visited the hospital for asthma also increased by 8.2% from about 149,000 in March to about 161,000 in April.

Ryu Hye-seung, head of the respiratory department at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, "Fine dust and yellow dust, which occur frequently in spring, are small particles and penetrate deep into the lungs without being filtered out of the nasal mucosa and airways, which can cause various respiratory diseases such as coughing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, and asthma."
◇ Allergic rhinitis, take care of your surroundings

In spring, it is easy to suffer from allergic rhinitis, which causes inflammation of the nasal mucosa due to allergy-causing antigens such as pollen, fine dust, and house dust.

Symptoms such as itchy nose or eyes, runny nose, sneeze, and stuffy nose may be repeated, and symptoms such as eye congestion, headache, and loss of smell may be accompanied.

Allergic rhinitis, which is easy to leave unattended due to its similar symptoms to colds, is likely to develop asthma, sinusitis, and otitis media, so early treatment is important.

It is best not to be exposed to antigens, but in reality, it is not easy to perform drug treatment. Spray agents sprayed into the nose or oral antihistamines that relieve runny nose and itching are mainly used.

To prevent allergic rhinitis, it is recommended to protect the respiratory tract by wearing a mask to prevent exposure to various antigens, and to open windows frequently to ventilate and maintain proper temperature and humidity at home.

In addition, the drier the nasal mucosa, the more likely it is to cause allergic rhinitis, so it is advisable to replenish the body's moisture by drinking more than 1.5 liters of water a day. Drinking enough water does not easily irritate the nasal mucosa and helps increase the body's immunity.

◇ Be aware of allergies to pollen and asthma coughs

Yellow dust is most severe in spring, with up to six times more dust accumulating in the atmosphere, three times the amount of dust we inhale, and yellow dust has a particle size of 1-10 µM, fine dust 2.5-10 µM, and ultrafine dust less than 2.5 µM.

The combination of yellow dust, fine dust, and heavy metals in spring pollen acts as a factor that causes stronger allergies and can also cause asthma.

Asthma is a disease that occurs when the airways narrow due to inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs. It is easy to mistake it for a cold because runny nose, stuffy nose, seizure cough, and chest pain appear during the change of seasons.

The typical symptoms of asthma include wheezing, difficulty breathing, and tightness in the chest when breathing with coughing, which are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

If a family member suffers from asthma, the risk of developing the disease increases. Environmental factors include allergic antigens (flower dust, house dust, pets, fungi, etc.), air pollution, and smoking.

If asthma is left unattended, it may cause asthma attacks that suddenly worsen the condition, which may lead to coughing and difficulty breathing.

It is diagnosed by a lung function test or a bronchial induction test, and if it is found to be asthma, medication should be performed first. In the treatment of asthma, symptom relief agents that relieve narrowed bronchial tubes within a short period of time and disease control agents that suppress allergic inflammation to prevent asthma attacks are mainly used.

Ryu Hye-seung, head of the department of respiratory medicine at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, "Aspiration is a chronic respiratory disease that cannot be cured, and continuous management is important. If you continue to treat and manage it, you can live without major problems, but sometimes you stop treatment because your symptoms have improved, but your airways are chronically narrowed or blocked, which can often lead to breathing seizures or airway inflammation."


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