Influenza and gastroenteritis were among last year’s top 10 causes of people visiting doctors during and after the Lunar New Year holiday, the National Health Insurance Administration said yesterday, urging people to look after their health.
In the week following last year’s holiday, more than 1.7 million people sought treatment for influenza, while 316,161 people went to hospitals because of gastroenteritis, agency data showed.
They were also the top two illnesses causing 3,000 to 6,000 people per day to seek emergency treatment during the holiday over the past three years, the data showed.
Photo: CNA
Lower back pain, high blood pressure, allergies, soft tissue diseases, diabetes with complications, eye inflammation, upper respiratory tract infection and diabetes without complications rounded out the top 10 diseases, the agency said.
People who are having problems sleeping because of the celebrations should avoid taking sleeping pills, as these are prescription drugs and might be habit-forming, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.
People with insomnia should avoid drinking too much water and caffeinated drinks before going to sleep, the FDA said, adding that overly fatty and spicy foods might disrupt sleep.
Flu, gastroenteritis, allergies and dizziness are the most common holiday diseases, partly due to people staying up late, Taichung-based otolaryngologist Cheng Kuo-yang (鄭國揚) said.
While most establishments are closed during the Lunar New Year holiday, Cheng has for the past 14 years opened his clinic during the holidays, except for the first day of the lunar month, when seeing a doctor is considered a taboo.
Chen said that he once saw up to 50 patients on Lunar New Year’s Eve.
A 60-something patient with high blood pressure and diabetes had a stroke after playing games all night, Cheng recalled.
After adminitering basic care, Cheng had the man transferred to a medical center.
Cheng advised people to avoid overeating and to take 30-minute to one-hour breaks from using smartphones or playing cards.
Sitting for too long for some people might be conducive to developing hemorrhoids, or lead to a stroke or heart attack, he said.
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