May 14th
"Hangzhou girl cleans up moldy wardrobe lung mold"
's topic rushed to the first place in the hot search on Weibo
aroused heated discussions among netizens
According to a report by Hangzhou TV on May 13, recently, Miss Wang (pseudonym), a "post-00" living in Hangzhou, suffered from cough, fatigue, fever and other symptoms. After being sent to the hospital for examination, Ms. Wang was diagnosed with fungal pneumonia.
It is understood that Miss Wang inhaled a lot of impurities and dust while cleaning the old wardrobe, which led to lung infection. Previously, many people have suffered lung infections due to unprotected cleaning of old objects. In this regard, the doctor reminded that it is best to wear a mask and gloves when cleaning.
Clean out the cabinets and tidy up old things
Grave sweeping needs attention
According to Miss Wang, a month ago, she found that there were mildew spots in the wardrobe at home, so she cleaned the moldy parts, but did not do a good job of protection, and inhaled a lot of impurities and dust raised during the cleaning process, and then she had paroxysmal cough, which was relatively mild and did not attract attention. Later, however, symptoms such as cough and fatigue appeared, and the fever reached a maximum of 40 degrees.
After a series of examinations, the doctor found that "small tree buds" had grown from Miss Wang's lungs from CT scans, which was suspected to be fungal pneumonia. Next, the doctor performed a flexible bronchoscopy on her, which found a large amount of white plaque on the airway wall, which was confirmed to be Aspergillus.
Coincidentally, recently, 63-year-old Ms. Dai in Changsha, Hunan Province was also recruited. According to her own account, she has recently sorted out old books and old photos at home, and these old photos and books hide a lot of dust mites and mold. During the tidying process, she herself did not take good precautions, resulting in inhaling a large amount of dust mites and mold, followed by a severe allergic reaction, which led to an asthma attack and the pain of not being able to breathe.
On March 30, 2024, Mr. Wang, 60, in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, also experienced chest pain, fever and other symptoms after sweeping the grave. It was later diagnosed that the culprit was impurities and dust inhaled during tomb sweeping.
According to the report, because the grave had not been cleaned for a year, there were a lot of dead branches and rotten leaves, as well as a large area of weeds, Mr. Wang hunched over and climbed up to the grave to clean up the rotten plants on it. In the process, he inhaled a lot of impurities and dust that was raised, but he didn't pay attention to it. When he got home, he had a dry cough and went to the hospital in the evening.
Doctors also found a large amount of white plaque on the wall of his airway, which was later tested for Aspergillus. After nebulization inhalation and antifungal treatment, the mold in the patient's body was gradually killed, the chest pain symptoms were relieved, and the blood oxygen saturation also returned to normal.
How does mold grow into the lungs?
Li Jianmin, director and chief physician of the Third Respiratory Ward (RICU) of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, said, "Mold is a special fungus that can cause mildew reactions, which is common in daily life, and may be manifested as chronic poisoning, carcinogenic, teratatogenic, mutagenic, aspiration pneumonia, etc. ”
Mold can grow in food, pollen, soil, plants, homes and other environments, and when the body's immune system is attacked or weakened, mold may enter the lungs and cause fungal pneumonia.
Typical symptoms of fungal pneumonia include persistent cough, sputum production, fever, chest pain, and dyspnea. These symptoms can be similar to the common cold or flu in the early stages, so they can be easily overlooked. It is important to be alert for persistence and worsening of symptoms.
When mold enters the human body, it may also cause infections of the mouth, skin, urinary system, gastrointestinal tract, and even systemic infections. People with allergies can inhale mold into the body to trigger an allergic reaction.
In addition, certain chemicals have the potential to cause lung damage, which can lead to lung infections. For example, people who are exposed to large amounts of dust, smoke, polluted air, and other sources of pollution are prone to lung lesions, which can lead to fungal pneumonia.
When cleaning
It's best to wear a mask and gloves
Mold prefers a moist, warm environment. The doctor reminded that the climate in the south is warming, rainy and humid, and the air is a natural condition conducive to the growth of mold.
In some poorly ventilated and damp rooms, it is easy to breed mold; In particular, it is easy to breed mold in the corners, window sills, kitchen sinks, stoves, kitchen utensils, rubber rings, refrigerators, toilets, bathrooms, washing machines, air conditioners, etc., and books and carpets that have not been used for a long time are also easy to breed mold.
Studies have shown that haematological cancers, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy, long-term use of immunosuppressants, long-term use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, intensive care unit patients, elderly patients, and patients with severe viral or bacterial infections are at high risk and should minimize mold exposure. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen nutrition, exercise appropriately, and enhance immunity.
The elderly, young children, people with underlying diseases or people with low immunity should stay away from dust as much as possible and minimize contact with damp and rotten soil; Wear masks and gloves, wear long clothes and trousers, and avoid direct inhalation of mold-containing gases when sorting out old clothes or handling musty items in daily life, or when you are in a dark and damp bungalow, basement and other places.
In addition, you can use disinfectant water, such as 3% hydrogen peroxide, soda, or 1:1 water and white vinegar for cleaning, you can also dry books, carpets, etc. in the sun, and pay attention to wearing masks and gloves when removing mold to avoid aspiration.
Source: Jimu News, Hangzhou TV, Changsha Evening News, Hunan Daily Editor: Lv Yanli