Why thunderstorms can turn you into an asthmatic

THUNDERSTORMS can trigger severe asthma attacks, researchers warned yesterday. They found that hospital admissions increase up to ten-fold during big storms – with half of the patients not previously known to be asthmatics.

It is believed that ‘thunderstorm asthma’ is caused when pollen is broken up into tiny microscopic particles by the electrical charge of a storm. This means the pollen is inhaled far deeper into the lungs than normal, triggering attacks.

Isabella Annesi-Maesano, of the Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health in Paris, presented the findings at the British Thoracic Society winter conference. She cited examples of extreme weather in which hospital admissions soared. During a major storm in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2016, more than 8,000 people were taken to A&E after asthma attacks, nine of whom died.

In 2002, a smaller storm in Cambridge saw 26 people go to hospital with unexpected asthma attacks. Professor AnnesiMaesano said the link was seen in spring and summer when pollen levels rose.

AN oil rig was evacuated yesterday as storm Caroline hit Britain with 90mph gusts. Sixty-nine of the 159 staff on Ninian South, about 240 miles from Aberdeen, left the structure. An ‘Arctic blast’ is expected tomorrow with snow in northern parts.