Recently, after a thunderstorm, nearly 30 patients gathered in the emergency department of the Jiangnan Campus of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. The symptoms of these patients are generally severe cough, shortness of breath, obvious asthma, combined with allergic rhinitis and recent history of upper respiratory tract infections. Finally, the doctor diagnosed them with thunderstorm asthma. What is thunderstorm asthma? Under what circumstances can thunderstorm asthma occur? How to treat and prevent thunderstorm asthma? The reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts on this matter. Thunderstorm asthma is an acute attack or sudden exacerbation of bronchial asthma, with typical symptoms including sudden coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and throat edema, ranging from mild to severe. "People pay more attention to thunderstorm asthma because it can be severe or life-threatening," said Qin He, deputy chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital affiliated with Tsinghua University in Beijing. In 2016, a serious thunderstorm asthma event occurred in Melbourne, Australia, with thousands of people experiencing asthma symptoms due to thunderstorms, including 10 deaths. The occurrence of thunderstorm asthma usually has three factors: first, the occurrence of thunderstorm weather; Secondly, the pollen concentration in the environment is relatively high; The third is having an allergic constitution. Qin He explained that inhaling too many pollen particles in the human body can have an impact on the bronchi, leading to symptoms such as coughing. The cold air flow before thunderstorms can bring pollen particles into the clouds, and the moisture and lightning in the clouds cause pollen particles to burst, releasing smaller particles. After being inhaled into the nasal cavity, these small particles are more likely to break free from the filtering barrier of the nasal mucosa and enter the lower respiratory tract, stimulating the bronchi and causing symptoms such as coughing and even wheezing. There are more cases of thunderstorms and asthma in spring and autumn. "In spring, when thunderstorms occur in areas with high pollen concentration in the south, there will be an increase in thunderstorm asthma patients. In autumn, the pollen concentrations of Artemisia annua, Humulus humulus, and Porpoise are higher in the north, and with more thunderstorms, thunderstorm asthma patients also increase accordingly. For example, in September 2023, after the thunderstorm in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, the number of thunderstorm asthma patients sharply increased." Qin He said. Who is prone to thunderstorm asthma? "When the concentration of pollen in the environment is high and it encounters thunderstorm weather, people with allergic constitution, especially those who are allergic to pollen, should pay special attention to preventing thunderstorm asthma." Qin He said, "There are also many fungi in thunderstorm weather, and people who are allergic to fungi should also pay attention to protection. Thunder asthma can occur in various age groups." According to Wang Lianglu, the chief physician of the Allergy Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the vast majority of patients with thunderstorm asthma are allergic to weeds (such as wormwood) pollen mainly in the genera Artemisia and Humulus, and a small portion are allergic to fungi. ". Qin He told reporters that for patients who experience symptoms of thunderstorm asthma for the first time, they should first receive symptomatic treatment and then undergo allergen testing. If it is confirmed to be pollen allergy, the doctor will provide targeted treatment based on the corresponding symptoms. "It is recommended that patients who are prone to allergies, especially those who clearly have pollen syndrome, take preventive anti allergic treatment 10-14 days before the pollen season to reduce the risk of thunderstorm asthma," Qin He reminded. Meanwhile, Qin He also suggests that patients with summer and autumn pollen rhinitis who have never experienced asthma attacks should prepare an emergency inhaled bronchodilator. as