SINGAPORE: She had gone to the emergency department after
falling and hitting her head. A few days later, the elderly woman
was back - this time, for a fractured wrist after she fell from a
stool while doing her Chinese New Year cleaning.
Another elderly woman ended up in the emergency department
after she slipped and fell in a wet market.
Such falls and other ailments are expected to rise as people,
especially the elderly, rush to prepare for the festive season,
said Dr Foo Chik Loon, a consultant at the emergency department in
Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
Last year, TTSH saw a 22-per-cent increase in stomach inflammation,
a 34-per-cent rise in asthma and a 30-per-cent jump in falls during
the Chinese New Year period. This year, it has already seen a
27-per-cent increase in asthma cases and a 6-per-cent increase in
stomach inflammation cases.
And there is that common occurrence during reunion dinners - fish
bones stuck in the throat.
Dr Foo said doctors are bracing for a surge in such cases during
this period.
Reminding people to "eat in moderation", Dr Foo said after the
festive period, doctors tend to see "complications of increased
food intake, abdominal pain, constipation". For some diabetes
patients, their diet had also gone "a bit haywire", he added. For
the elderly too, "with cleaning comes dust, (so) they also tend to
get more respiratory illnesses", he noted.
But even as these ailments increase, people - especially the
elderly - also tend to put off seeing the doctor.
This results in a surge in patient attendance after the festive
period, said Dr Foo. Instead of getting early treatment, patients
had allowed infections to linger, which in turn led to more severe
problems and possibly, hospitalisation, he cautioned.
- TODAY/sc