A massive case of "thunderstorm asthma" in Australia has killed 4 people and placed thousands of others in hospitals.
Emergency services struggled to cope with the number of patients
During a 4 hour period, emergency services received over 1900 calls from people needing assistance because of asthma attacks.
Robin Ould, chief executive of the Asthma Foundation of Australia, shares, "When you have a perfect storm coming together (of) a very high pollen day, high humidity, and a thunderstorm, the grains of rye grass absorb water with the humidity and they break up into thousands of pieces."
He adds, "Normally with rye grass the pollen would be trapped by nose hairs. When it breaks up it goes straight to the lungs."
Those separate conditions contributed to cause one of the largest cases of thunderstorm asthma.
Some of those affected never had an asthma attack before
Researchers trying to study thunderstorm asthma found that a lot of the people who experienced asthma during the thunderstorm never had an asthma attack before.
They had 2588 respondents, 74% of them said that they experienced asthma during the thunderstorm, while 32% of that number said that it was the first time they've had an asthma attack.
Sadly, 4 people had died during the thunderstorm, including a very healthy 18-year-old named Omar Moujalled. Omar's friend Shuayb Talic shares that his friend's death left him in "absolute shock, denial, then horror."
He adds, "Omar was the fittest of the group. We were discussing a gym meet up just a few days earlier. However, he did have asthma, and apparently it was so severe during the storm he could barely stand up to treat it."
Due to it being a freak occurrence, cases of thunderstorm asthma are very much underreported. Researchers add that it has been seen in places such as UK, US, Italy and Canada.
Go to the next page to learn about managing asthma.
How to manage asthma
Asthma, simply put, is a chronic disease that inflames the airways, causing it to become narrow, thereby making breathing difficult.
While asthma might sound terrible for most people, with proper management and treatment, anyone suffering from asthma can live a regular life just like anyone else.
Here are some steps you can take in order to better manage you or a loved one's asthma:
- Ask your doctor. If you've been diagnosed with asthma, you'll most probably have a lot of questions regarding your condition. That's why you need to ask your doctor more about your condition so that you can manage it better.
- Work with your doctor to create a plan of treatment. In order to maintain your quality of life, make sure to work with your doctor to figure out what kind of treatment best suits you and your lifestyle.
- Monitor your activities and symptoms. Make sure to know the symptoms of an oncoming asthma attack. Knowing the symptoms will let you manage your asthma better and will help you take control.
- Know what kinds of medicine you take. You also need to understand the effects that your medicine has on your body. Each person's asthma can be different, and medication varies depending on the type or severity of asthma.
- Identify what triggers your asthma. Know what activities or circumstances can trigger an asthma attack, and do your best to avoid them.
- Learn more about what you can do to manage your asthma. Keep yourself updated on the latest health news and developments about asthma treatment. Knowing more about your condition will help you take control of your life.
WATCH: Research finds that babies may be able to be vaccinated against asthma
Sources: edition.cnn.com, theguardian.com
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