Respiratory solutions

With effective solutions, awareness, and medical guidance, seasonal respiratory can be tackled

- Dr Noor Gill

In a recent webinar, leading pulmonologist Dr Aditya Agrawal, who is attached to several large hospitals in Mumbai, spoke on and answered questions about seasonal cough and respiratory concerns for seniors.

Seasonal cough and respiratory ailments in the elderly is a phenomenon that the entire country is dealing with at present. Ageing lungs are definitely weaker. They are less elastic ie they do not open and close as efficiently as when you were younger. As we age, our lungs keep getting smaller.

As we age, our lungs are not able to cough out the mucus which is produced in the lungs as you age. You may have realised that as you age your cough tends to get stuck in your chest, leading to congestion more often than when you were younger.

As winters approach, the pollutants cling very close to the surface of the earth. The particulate matter of size 2.5 micron and 10 micron tends to stay on the surface of earth. Therefore along with the air that you breathe, you also breathe these particulate matters which affect your lung. This increases your risk for diseases such as asthma, pneumonia. You may also develop the complaint of wheezing, and if you already have a compromised lung, you may develop attacks/ exacerbation of COPD/ asthma.

These are more common in urban India and Northern parts of India where the effects of pollution are far more than our Southern counterparts.