December 12, 2016.
The peak of pollution has filled medical offices in recent days. People prone to asthma, cardiovascular disease or allergies were more likely to suffer from their pathology during this episode, which could be relevant again in the days to come.
Increased asthma attacks for a week
The capital benefited from a moment of respite, this Monday, December 12, thanks to a weekend which allowed a decrease in the levels of pollution in the air. This respite may, however, be short-lived and the situation could worsen later this week, according to the latest weather forecast.
The peak in pollution was also felt in medical offices and emergency waiting rooms, where doctors have seen a sharp increase in consultations for asthma attacks, bronchiolitis or other problems related to cardiovascular disease, so many pathologies that can be aggravated by outdoor pollution.
Pollution worsens the bronchiolitis epidemic
The latest survey carried out by teams from Trousseau and Necker-Cochin hospitals shows that consultations for asthma attacks in children have increased over the past seven days, compared to last year. AP-HP doctors recorded 2,045 consultations against 1,516 in 2015.
For the increase in cases of bronchiolitis, experts are more mixed regarding the real origin of the peak we are witnessing, in Paris and in many French departments. The epidemic has already been launched for several weeks and current pollution levels are not so much a trigger as an aggravating phenomenon. ” We are in the midst of an epidemic of this disease mainly linked to the virus », Explains the Observatory of health in Île-de-France, according to comments taken up by 20 minutes. ” It is therefore not easy to make a direct link between a pollution peak and an increase in the number of bronchiolitis. “.
To find out more: Air pollutants: what are they, where do they come from?
