Festivals in India are synonymous with eating and gifting sweets, and most food and confectionery shops are decked with an assortment of goodies in colourful wrappings meant for traditional presents.
South Asians have high rates of diabetes, and with Diwali over, the post-Diwali indulgence poses a threat to glycemic control, accounting for a spike in hospitalization rates. From alcohol hangovers to uncontrolled blood sugar levels and excessive insulin doses, the Diwali feast can wreak havoc on the body .
Umpteen research studies in esteemed medical journals have pointed that being exposed to smoke from firecrackers is equivalent to smoking hundreds of cigarettes within a matter of minutes and the chemicals that the smoke contains leads to not just immediate breathing difficulties and skin irritation but, in the long term, could even raise the risk of cancer.
WHO:
India is notorious for being one of the worst pollution hotspots in the world. The winter inversion and the geography of the Indian Gangetic Plains trap most pollution particles near the surface. Add to that post-monsoon stubble burning, industrial and vehicular emissions, thermal power plants, and festival emissions, and it seems like a no-brainer that respiratory diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the country.
The ball is driven right out of the park when we compare PM 2.5 levels — tiny particles of less than 2.5 micrometres — that form a significant component of the harmful stuff in the air. Many national reports have shown that almost everyone in the country breathes exorbitant amounts of the matter than is considered safe by multiple health organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO). Estimates from studies in reputed journals like The Lancet also attributed up to 23.5 lakh premature deaths per year to air pollution.
POLLUTION
With the onset of the festive season, there is an upsurge in the pollution level because of factors like firecrackers, low-wind speed and stubble burning. This causes a steep rise in air pollution and worsens air quality index (AQI), taking the value to 400 to 500 and even more in certain dense areas in north India including the national capital.
Patients with respiratory symptoms who are having asthma, COPD, lung diseases and other respiratory problems are very prone to a steep rise in air pollution and sometimes, it may require hospitalisation or aggressive course of medication, including ICU and very intensive support.
Respiratory illnesses increase during this season due to air pollutants settling down in the atmosphere. Also, respiratory infections increase with viruses and bacteria in the environment.
While pollution has only been linked to lung problems as asthma gets worsens, people often ignore the proven fact that air pollution leads to increased heart damages .
When we look at the 2.5 particulate matter, it is known that pollution consists of not just that matter, which also is very harmful and transfers from the lung into the blood vessels, but also gaseous metric, like carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide , nitrogen, nitrous oxide, all of which are known to be harmful substances.They cause inflammation in the arteries of the heart. When this particulate matter goes into the bloodstream to the lungs, causes inflammation in the arteries of the lung and also causes increased clotting of the blood. And all these two important factors lead to heart attacks and development of damage to the inner lining of the arteries of the heart that causes cholesterol to accumulate and lead to coronary artery disease.
NUTRITIONAL TIPS:
People need to have proper nutrition with consumption of Vitamin C-rich fruits like amla, and citrus fruits like orange, mausambi etc.
Doing deep breathing exercises and pranayam will also help improve lung strength in this season.
Dr Naresh Purohit is Executive Member, Federation of Hospital Administrator. He is also advisor to the National Communicable Disease Control Programme. Dr. Purohit is also Advisor to six other National Health Programmes. He is visiting Professor in five Medical Universities of Southern India including Thrissur based Kerala University of Health Sciences ((The views and opinion expressed in this article are those of the author)
