| Professor Yun-Hong Jeon/Photo: Courtesy of Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital |
[e대한경제=박흥서 기자] Like cherry blossoms fluttering in the warm spring sunlight, the smiles on our children’s faces were in full bloom. With the arrival of spring in full swing, sunny days continue.
However, there are diseases that need to be carefully checked at this time. This is because children have a weak immune system and have a hard time adapting to a new environment. In particular, the common cold or allergic rhinitis, which is prevalent at this time, is often mistaken for COVID-19 infection. In fact, when the news that half of our children are already infected with COVID-19, parents are not alone.
Jeon Yun-hong, a professor of pediatrics at the Catholic University of Korea Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, said, “When symptoms such as runny nose or stuffy nose appear during the changing seasons like these days, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish whether it is a simple cold or allergic rhinitis. He said, “If you remember a few differentiating points, such as symptoms and medical history of each disease, you can easily tell them apart.”
◇ Allergic rhinitis epidemic during the changing seasons… Distinguish between cold and COVID-19
Corona 19 is a respiratory infectious disease caused by a virus. In addition, symptoms such as sputum, sore throat, headache, hemoptysis and nausea, and diarrhea may be seen.
The biggest difference between COVID-19 and allergic rhinitis is fever. Allergic rhinitis is not accompanied by fever. Sore throat and muscle pain are also symptoms that do not appear in allergic rhinitis. Of course, there is a runny nose in Corona 19, but there is a difference that it is not the main symptom. In addition, COVID-19 causes frequent coughing, and allergic rhinitis causes sneezing rather than coughing.
On the other hand, allergic rhinitis is characterized by itching. If your nose is itchy, sneezing, and your runny nose flows like water rather than mucus, it is highly likely that you have allergic rhinitis. About 70% of cases show symptoms such as itchy eyes, tearing, and conjunctival hyperemia. In addition, there may be itching in the ears, face, and throat. Nasal congestion is usually severe at night, which can lead to mouth breathing, snoring, and sleep disturbance.
A cold shows a big difference in symptoms and allergic rhinitis, just like COVID-19. A cold is a viral disease, and it is often accompanied by systemic symptoms such as a runny nose and stuffy nose, which are the main symptoms, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, fever, and chills.
The duration and recurring pattern of symptoms are also different. Cold symptoms rarely persist for a long time. In addition, although it occurs all year round, it is most common from early autumn to late spring, and usually recovers spontaneously within 1 to 2 weeks. On the other hand, allergic rhinitis often persists for several weeks or appears chronically for a long period of time, and has a characteristic that it occurs repeatedly in certain situations and environments.
Professor Jeon Yun-hong said, “In the changing seasons like these days, our children cannot adapt to sudden temperature changes, so their immunity is weakened and they are easily exposed to various diseases. there,” he warned.
◇ Fine dust is more harmful to children… exposure should be minimized
Fine dust is also a problem. Particulate matter is airborne material with a number of complex components with a diameter of 10 μm or less. It is mainly caused by automobile exhaust gas, air pollutants from the use of fossil fuels, and dust from yellow dust or smog from China.
In particular, dust with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less is called ultra-fine dust, and the smaller the particle size, the deeper the lungs can be reached. can affect
Professor Jeon Yun-hong said, “Children continue to grow and develop following birth, and their detoxification system is immature, so the respiratory system impact of exposure to air pollution is inevitably greater than that of adults.”
In fact, children are shorter than adults, so they are closer to the surface of the earth with a high concentration of air pollutants and inhale high concentrations of air pollutants. Also, because they breathe mainly through mouth breathing, the filtering function is less effective than adults who breathe through the nose. They breathe much more per minute than adults, and as a result, they inhale more air pollutants.
On the other hand, since children have a narrow inner airway, when exposed to air pollutants, airway obstruction due to airway edema is severe and respiratory symptoms are more severe because it is difficult to discharge secretions.
Fine dust contains components that are toxic to the human body, such as carbon, organic hydrocarbons, nitrates, sulfates, and toxic metals, and it is known that some of them enter the blood through the alveoli and can affect systemic diseases.
In order to minimize and prevent exposure to fine dust, it is recommended to minimize outdoor activities such as refraining from going out when the concentration of fine dust is high for people with respiratory diseases, the elderly and children, and pregnant women. If you must do outdoor activities inevitably, wear a yellow dust mask and wash your nose and hands well following going out.
Professor Yun-Hong Jeon said, “For indoor air management, it is good to close the windows to prevent the inflow of fine dust from the outside, and it is also helpful to use an air purifier equipped with a high-efficiency filter such as a HEPA filter. You have to take care of it and make sure you drink enough water.”
Incheon = Reporter Park Heung-seo chs0506@
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