Alert! Severe cold, 'poor' air quality causing more heart attacks in Delhi

Amid a severe cold wave and decreasing air quality in the national capital, the number of heart attack patients has increased.

Amid a severe cold wave and decreasing air quality in the national capital, the number of heart attack patients has increased, said the MD of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital Dr S Kumar on Thursday. Dr Kumar said there are a high number of patients with heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and respiratory illnesses, news agency ANI reported.

Alert! Severe cold, 'poor' air quality causing more heart attacks in Delhi(Pixabay)

“Earlier 40-50 patients used to get admitted in a day, but now the number has increased to 60-70,” he added. Dr Kumar advised people to “monitor their diabetes and blood pressure regularly, avoid walking during the morning and wear warm clothes”.

Director of neurosurgery and neuro-intervention at Fortis Hospital, Noida, Dr Rahul Gupta told ANI: “We have observed that there has been an increase of 9% in the number of stroke patients during winters."

Several parts of north and northwestern India are reeling under a severe cold wave and dense fog conditions. Delhi on Thursday witnessed light rainfall and recorded a minimum temperature of 9.3 degree Celsius - two notches above the season's average. The national capital's Safdarjung weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 1.9 degrees earlier this week.

The national capital has also recorded a poor air quality - with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday standing at 371 - in the ‘very poor’ category.

Meanwhile, similar cold conditions have been reported from across parts of southern India as well, with weather officials issuing warnings for Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

According to weather expert Navdeep Dahiya, north India must brace for another cold wave beginning Saturday with temperatures in the plains set to dip as low as -4 degree Celsius.

(With inputs from agencies)