When you purchase through connection on our situation , we may earn an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it work .
one C of people in Melbourne , Australia , see breathing problems during a recent violent storm , in what ’s being called an irruption of " thunderstorm asthma attack . " But what ’s behind this rarified phenomenon ?
On Monday ( Nov. 21 ) evening , the ambulance avail in Melbourne , called Ambulance Victoria , received more than 1,800 calls during the violent storm , which is about six times more than usual , according to the BBC .
About 200 vociferation were for cases of asthma attack , and 600 song were for hoi polloi with breathing difficulties , Mick Stephenson , executive director of emergency brake operations at Ambulance Victoria , told the BBC . " A lot of people who called last dark had never had asthma before , " Stephenson was cite as saying . There were also two deaths from asthma during the storm . [ 9 myth About Seasonal Allergies ]
Similar effect have been report in England , Canada , Italy and the United States . For model , during a heavy thunderstorm in 1994 in London , 640 patient with asthma attack or breathing difficulties bring down the emergency way — a number 10 times higher than the expected number of asthma patients on a given day , harmonise to a 2012 revaluation . About 280 of those patients had never had asthma before .
Many people who have " electrical storm asthma attack " have a common status known ashay fever , in which they are allergic to pollen or other substances in the air , according to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy ( ASCIA ) .
It ’s conceive that these irruption go on because , during thunderstorms , pollen grains rapidly steep water and breach , lead to the loss of hundreds of small subatomic particle into the air , ASCIA says . These particles can penetrate deeply into multitude ’s lungs and triggerasthma attack , ASCIA says . Some outbreaks of thunderstorm bronchial asthma have also been link with increased spirit level of fungous spores in the air .
It ’s also thought that gusty winds in electrical storm help to spread pollen particles and other allergy - induce substances . A2008 studythat reckon at emergency room visits in Atlanta over a 10 - year period found that there were 3 percent more visits for asthma attack on days surveil thunderstorm . The link between asthma visits and thunderstorms was warm when the wind gusts during the storm were intermediate to high , the discipline found .
It ’s distrust that the outbreak in Melbourne was due to high levels of ryegrass pollen , the BBC said . On Monday , the level of rye - pollen molecule in the line was more than double the point that ’s typically considered gamy , the BBC said .
People with asthma triggered by pollen can take asthma medications to forbid or treat their symptoms , ASCIA say .
Original clause onLive Science .
