PERSONAL HEALTH : It’s Mean Season for Breathing
Breathe in. Breathe out. Gasp. Cough. Sneeze. Is summertime stealing your breath away?
It may well be, according to some Southland physicians who say respiratory ailments seem to be on the rise.
As temperatures go up, so, it seems, do the number of patients with complaints about labored breathing. And this summer may be more breathtaking than last.
“We are seeing more patients with coughs and upper respiratory infections than usual for this time of year,” said Dr. Thomas Godfrey, assistant chief of medical urgent care at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Hollywood.
In a random survey of a half-dozen Los Angeles physicians’ offices, all but one echoed Godfrey’s report. Pediatricians said they are seeing more than the usual number of children with coughs and wheezes.
One internist said he has treated pneumonia this summer in patients in their 20s and 30s--not a typical age for the illness. “This season, there seem to be more viral infections than usual,” Godfrey said. “We’re seeing more patients with colds and the colds are lasting longer.”
No one knows precisely why breathing isn’t easier this summer. “We had a much milder flu season than expected this last winter,” said Godfrey. “Maybe we are playing catch-up. We have a lot of pollens in Southern California and pollens can predispose allergy-prone people to bronchitis.”
Bronchitis is an infection or inflammation of the windpipe or its smaller branches. “The excessive heat may aggravate the symptoms (of bronchitis) but it does not cause them,” Godfrey said.
When coughs and other symptoms strike, it may be difficult to decide whether to treat yourself or seek professional medical help.
“You should worry if the cough is associated with a high fever, above 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Godfrey said. Think about seeing a doctor, too, if there is a lot of phlegm produced (particularly if it’s colored), if there is chest pain with breathing, if the cough persists longer than a week, he added.
“If there’s any question, it’s worth having the doctor take a look,” said Godfrey. Even so, bronchitis does not usually develop into pneumonia, an inflammation or infection of the tiny air sacs deep in the lungs, he said.
People with repeated bouts of bronchitis or other respiratory problems should be evaluated for underlying lung problems, said Dr. Michael Gurevitch , a pulmonary disease specialist at Pasadena’s Huntington Memorial Hospital.
“A lot of what people call bronchitis may actually be asthma,” said Gurevitch, “and the best treatment could differ.” People suffering any respiratory distress should also heed smog alerts, said Godfrey, who said he is puzzled by the number of patients with colds and bronchitis who disregard warnings to stay indoors during high levels of pollution.
