Mumbai : City doctors state that with the winter setting in, they are witnessing a rise in cases of viral fever, gastroenteritis and patients turning up with joint and body pain. They add that people with co-morbid factors such as lung infections including asthma, tuberculosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are at a high risk.
Consultant physicians at various hospitals opine that they are treating more patients at their Out-Patient Departments (OPD) who are complaining of viral fever, dry cough, cold and breathlessness. Dr Shahid Bharmare, consultant physician at Kohinoor Hospital, said: “We are witnessing patients from all age brackets but those who have a history of lung problems and weak immunity are the worst hit. Thirty percent of OPD cases are of winter-related illnesses, however, the patients recover within a week.”
Further, doctors state that owing to cold weather, people prefer staying indoors and skip exercise which takes a toll on their health. “Winter makes people lazy wherein they don’t want to get out of their blankets because of the cold weather outside. Owing to this, the bones become stiff and people stop their exercises midway which leads to pain and firmness in their body leading to joint, back and body ache. We are witnessing many such cases especially among the elderly who are complaining of joint and knee pain,” added Dr Bharmare.
Following this, doctors advise people to follow certain guidelines which will help them to stay fit throughout winter. Experts state that people should avoid morning walks as there is a lot of smog which leads to breathing problems and instead go for evening walks. They further add that people should wear warm clothes and eat healthy food to maintain strong immunity.
