New study finds thunderstorms can trigger severe asthma attacks
Thunderstorms can trigger asthma attacks so severe, they may require hospitalization, according to a new research paper.
New research published in JAMA Internal Medicine Monday says thunderstorms can trigger severe asthma attacks.
While the study focused on people who were 65 years old and older, experts say people of any age who suffer from respiratory illnesses should take notice.
Lead author Dr. Anupam Jena, an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, told CNN that in the days before a major thunderstorm, ER visits for seniors rise dramatically -- especially for patients with asthma.
Their findings suggest hospital visits peaked one day before a storm and declined after it ended.
"The visits were not during the thunderstorm when the rains are coming down," Dr. Jena told CNN.
"And after the storm is over, we saw the rates of visits to the ER went down."
File photo submitted to The Weather Network by Jeff Adams.
WHAT'S THE CAUSE OF 'THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA?'
The concept of "thunderstorm asthma" was first documented in Birmingham, England, and in Melbourne, Australia in the 1980s, where healthcare officials noted a spike in asthma attacks preceding stormy weather.
While storms typically wash pollen -- a major trigger for asthma attacks -- out of the air, a 2017 paper from researchers at the University of Georiga found that downdrafts of cold air in a storm send mould and pollen spores into clouds where they are ruptured by lightning and humidity.
The spores return to the ground as small particles where they can enter the sinuses and into the lungs and trigger an asthma attack.
"If you know a thunderstorm is coming, be mindful just as you would when pollen counts are high, and take a little extra care," Dr. Jena advised.