The dip in temperatures in Northern Nevada is fueling a rise in the number of patients in local emergency rooms. Officials tell us that there is a definite seasonal spike that they expect. But this year they are seeing even more cases of common problems than they'd expected.
"Our volume has been moving upward for months and in the past several weeks we've really seen a spike," says Dr. Sven Inda at the Northern Nevada Medical Center. "We saw more than 100 patients in the ER on Monday and we usually see like about sixty in a day. So we are seeing quite a rise."
While it would seem logical that the cold temperatures would lead to hypothermia, they say it's actually been a rather average year for hypothermia. What they are seeing is respiratory problems.
"Most of the cases are respiratory problems. So sometimes people have the flu and the whole family gets sick and comes in," Dr. Inda says."But we are seeing flu and a lot of respiratory problems. Because people with asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease always get worse in the cold weather like this."
So how to you know when to seek medical help?
"If you have the flu and minor symptoms you should stay home so you don't infect other people. But if you have trouble breathing and say have other health problems that put you at risk, you should seek medical attention."
Written by Erin Breen
