Patients with cough-n-cold complaints line up doctors post-Diwali

Mumbai, Nov 3 (UNI) With pollution levels rising this year post-Diwali, patients have begun lining up at their physicians' clinics with complaints of severe cough and congestion.

Dr Jignesh Gandhi of King Edward Memorial Hospital said, ''This is an allergic cough and should not be ignored. Also, it requires a good clinical examination by a physician or an ENT specialist and not fancy investigations.'' ''Patients feel congestion and choking sensation in the chest.

They also face difficulty in breathing, experience headaches and feel breathlessness even after a little exertion. It all generally starts with dry cough,'' he said.

Dr Samir Bhobe, ENT surgeon and consultant with Wockhardt Hospital, said, ''Patients often have problem sleeping due to the cough.'' About 40 per cent patients, who approach him post-Diwali festival complain of cold and cough, he added.

For such patients, Dr Gandhi advices steam inhalation as the first step to recovery. In case of any complications, a patient can be administered steroids (under supervision only), he added.

Dr Bhobe said this type of allergy has to be treated by anti-histamines (anti-allergy drugs) under supervision to supress the allergens. Also, a cough expectorant is given along with them for making the mucoid come out of the system.

''If the allergic cough is not treated in time, it may develop into asthama that begins with such allergic cough,'' he said.

Both doctors, however, adviced that certain precautions need to be taken to avoid such allergies. They suggested that the patients should wear masks, available with chemists, while travelling, especially during early morning or late night, when the smog settles close to the ground surface.

The mask also needs to be changed regularly or else clinical white masks which have longer life can be used, Dr Gandhi said.

Patients should avoid crowded places or else they should travel from one place to other with extreme climatic conditions, which may help prevent such allergy to some extent, the doctors said.

Dr Gandhi said, ''Use the air-condition at regular intervals can help prevent such cough.'' ''Avoid all types of smokes as far as possible,'' Dr Bhobe suggested.

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