China Daily reports:
People with respiratory issues usually get a break in the summer, but after Beijing’s spell of smog in June, more and more are finding anything but relief.
Li Yanming, a doctor at the respiratory department at Beijing Hospital, said she has received calls from four asthma patients over the past three days, all complaining that their chronic disease is worsening. She said the heavy pollution in the capital could be exacerbating problems for asthma sufferers. “Usually asthma becomes active during spring and autumn. Summer is a season where asthma can be controlled without medication. Their problems may have been caused by the pollution.”
Zhang Shunan, vice-director of the lung diseases department at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said the number of patients he has seen has recently increased by 10 to 20 percent.