【Special Reminder】After reading it, hurry up and check your air conditioner! It could really blow out the disease
author：Healthy Linyi
【Special Reminder】After reading it, hurry up and check your air conditioner! It could really blow out the disease
After days of high temperatures, many people have begun to use air conditioners at home, but air conditioners that have not been used for a long time also have health risks if they are used directly without cleaning!
Recently, many hospitals have admitted a number of patients with Legionella pneumonia, and the cause of the illness is related to air conditioning.
The air conditioner has not been cleaned for a long time
It actually led to pneumonia infection
According to reports, Mr. Zhou (pseudonym), a 55-year-old citizen of Changsha, has a history of type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetic nephropathy, chronic renal insufficiency and other medical history, and recently was hospitalized for treatment after being treated in the hospital for persistent fever, chills, and cough for 4 days.
During the examination, it was found that the patient had a serious infection in the lungs, and several indicators of infection were significantly elevated. Antibiotic anti-infective treatment was ineffective, and the patient continued to have fever and abnormal manifestations of apathy.
It is understood that Mr. Zhou had previously traveled by car. Because of the hot weather, he turned on the car air conditioner that had not been cleaned for a long time, and spent more than ten hours in the car every day, and after returning he had fever, cough and other symptoms similar to "cold".
Doctors determined that the patient might have been infected with Legionella bacteria. The doctor immediately adjusted the treatment plan and switched to a first-line drug that can cover Legionella pneumophila to fight the infection, and the patient's body temperature gradually decreased, and the body temperature returned to normal the next day, and he was discharged from the hospital after follow-up treatment.
【Special Reminder】After reading it, hurry up and check your air conditioner! It could really blow out the disease
CT images of Mr. Zhou's lungs before and after treatment
Ms. Yao (pseudonym), a 32-year-old citizen of Ningxiang City, was also infected with the same Legionella bacteria.
Ms. Yao said that the air conditioner at home had not been cleaned for more than half a year, and she used the air conditioner at home for two days before being admitted to the hospital, and a week later she had symptoms such as cough, phlegm, high fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea and so on.
By analyzing the patient's orange-red sputum and the intrapulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations, the doctor recommended a complete etiological examination, and finally diagnosed severe Legionella pneumonia. After adjusting the medication, the patient's condition improved rapidly, the body temperature gradually returned to normal, and various indicators gradually recovered.
Beware of Legionella pneumophila!
According to doctors, Legionella pneumophila is the main pathogen causing Legionella pneumonia, which is a bacterium that is parasitic and can invade the macrophages of the human body and has strong pathogenicity.
It is named after the first outbreak caused by the Veterans Conference held in Philadelphia in 1976. Legionella pneumophila prefers a warm and humid environment, and the hot and humid summer is an excellent time for it to multiply, and the air conditioners, water heaters, showers, pipes, hot springs, etc. commonly used by people can become its breeding place.
Therefore, the period from June to September is the peak period of Legionella pneumonia, and people are mainly infected through ingestion of Legionella-containing aerosols or contaminated water sources.
Based on the two patients' descriptions of their condition, doctors determined that the long-term uncleaned air conditioner was most likely the source of transmission, and that the patient was infected by inhaling aerosols containing Legionella bacteria after activating the air conditioner.
In severe cases, it can result
Shock and even death
Doctors said that Legionella pneumonia developed about 10 days after it invaded the body.
Clinical symptoms include nonspecific respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, sputum production, and dyspnea, as well as a variety of extrapulmonary manifestations such as headache, myalgia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, rhabdomyolysis, and acute renal impairment.
In severe cases, it can lead to shock and even death. Legionella is also one of the more common pathogens of severe community-acquired pneumonia.
It is worth noting that the high-risk groups that are susceptible to Legionella pneumonia include immunodeficiency groups, middle-aged and elderly people, patients with chronic heart, lung, kidney disease and other underlying diseases, long-term hospitalization, and pregnant women.
These populations are more susceptible to Legionella infections due to weakened immunity or certain health conditions, and require enhanced protection and surveillance.
Prevention of Legionella
Pay attention to these on a daily basis
The doctor reminded that the key to preventing Legionella pneumonia in summer is to maintain environmental hygiene, regularly clean and disinfect air conditioners, bathrooms and other places where Legionella bacteria can grow, and avoid swimming in undisinfected swimming pools.
In particular, it is necessary to pay attention to the following three aspects:
air conditioning
Before using an air conditioner that has not been used for a long time, it is necessary to do a thorough cleaning, disinfection and cleaning of the air conditioner, not only to clean the filter, but also to clean the radiator, cooling plate and exhaust pipe regularly.
Wear a well-sealed mask during the washing period to avoid inhaling pathogenic bacteria.
Do not turn on the air conditioner for a long time, pay attention to open the window regularly for ventilation, people with respiratory diseases should try to shorten the time of turning on the air conditioner.
Bathroom
If the storage water heater has not been used for a long time, drain the water before use. Because Legionella bacteria especially prefer moist and warm places, shower hoses are their favorite.
Landscaped pools
When summer comes, don't play in the landscape pools or fountain pools, because most of the landscape water bodies are stagnant water, which is especially easy to breed bacteria and plankton in the high temperature season, and it is easy to become a breeding ground for Legionella bacteria.
