Local June 26, 2022 | 11:00 am

Sahara dust affects people with asthma or rhinitis more

It is advisable to wear a mask and wash your face. (FREEPIK)

The Sahara transports an average of 182 million tons of dust per year.

 

Allergist Ramón Almodóvar calls on patients with respiratory ailments to be careful about the arrival each year of Sahara dust, a cloud created from warm air masses loaded with sand particles and an increasingly constant and persistent presence.

The doctor indicates that this mass accumulates mold, spores, chemicals, minerals, and organic particles on its journey from Africa, so the patient can be affected when in contact with it.

“It is a phenomenon that has been felt strongly for about 10 years here, now in a more concentrated wayEvery year we see it more intense and the sky becomes more opaque, although we must also recognize that it favors the soil with the minerals it provides, “said the specialist.

Among the negative consequences is the rise in temperature, the dragging of some microorganisms, pollution, low air quality, increased symptoms of allergies, and health effects such as irritation in the throat, mucous membranes, and dryness in the skin.

Almodóvar points out that one of the conditions that make Sahara dust feel more is that “the temperature of the country is an incubator temperature, ideal for the reproduction of allergens and dust mites.”

In his daily consultation in Docamed, the allergist has noticed an increase in nasal, ocular, and respiratory manifestations in patients based on a disease such as asthma, bronchitis, or rhinitis.

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Infografía
Dr. Ramón Almodóvar. (EXTERNAL SOURCE)

“If you have breathing problems, you need to take care of yourself more,” the doctor insisted.

“If it is a person without any basic pathology, do not take stress because it is something we have to learn to live with. It’s important to bring peace of mind to patients,” he added.

Dr. Almodóvar’s advice for his patients is to wear masks, and if they feel itchy in the eyes, wash their face with plenty of water, and also wear long-sleeved shirts to avoid itching on the skin, and consult their doctor to treat the underlying diseases that produce the allergy.

It is also recommended to moisturize the skin with creams based on urea and vitamin C or E and take mucho liquid.

“If you feel unwell, go to the emergency room, if you are a child, to your pediatrician and there they will know how to refer you because when the patient arrives at the allergist it is because he already has obvious manifestations of rhinitis, dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis or that he is allergic asthmatic,” he concluded.

According to NASA, the Sahara is the largest producer of dust on the planet and carries an average of 182 million tons of dust each year.

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Felix Arroyo
June 26, 2022 5:06 pm

Dust is also coming from the erosion of all those building and houses and asphalt covered streets in STO DGO & Santiago continues to pollute and sicken the Dominican. It is time to make our cities a better mixture of flora and concrete than what it is now! Respect green and reject grout!!