Over the past few days, temperatures in several cities and provinces in northern Vietnam have tumbled, leading to a high hospital admission rate among elderly people.

They are primarily affected by respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, including strokes.

The National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi has seen multiple lines of old people wait for their turns to have their health checked each day over the past week.

The hospital has reported a dramatic increase in hospitalizations among senior citizens over the past few days, said Dr. Ha Thi Van at the hospital.

The hospital normally admits an average of 10 elderly patients a day. 

However, the figure has doubled due to the freezing weather, according to Dr. Van.

These hospitalizations were linked to high blood pressure, heart failure, pneumonia, and sciatica pain, she added.

While waiting for a medical check-up, Nguyen Van Tien, a 75-year-old resident of Hanoi, said on Monday that he developed a runny nose and cough three days earlier.

“The ongoing cold spell, paired with rain, prevented me from going to hospital for a medical examination,” he recounted.

He said that due to the lack of improvement in his health condition and experiencing severe coughing, he chose to visit the hospital.

The Ha Nam Province General Hospital has recorded a surge in the number of elderly patients going down with respiratory illness over the past few days.

Many stroke patients have been rushed to the hospital, according to Dr. Dinh Ngoc Tuan, deputy head of the emergency department at the hospital in Ha Nam Province, over 50 kilometers from Hanoi.

Dr. Tuan stated that individuals with a medical history of hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, dyslipidemia, smoking, and drinking may be at risk of strokes due to frost and chilly winds.

The extreme cold weather might cause Bell’s palsy, which leads to sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.

The Duc Giang General Hospital in Hanoi has recently admitted three or five patients diagnosed with Bell’s palsy a day. These patients include the youth and elderly.

Dr. Doan Van Phuc, deputy head of the hospital, noted that a significant portion, up to 80 percent, of patients experiencing facial paralysis had neglected to stay warm during freezing days.

Dr. Phuc advised residents, particularly seniors, to wear warm clothing and restrict bathing when temperatures drop to prevent such health issues.

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