Doctors’ waiting rooms fill up as season changes

Erica D. Johnson

Friday, Sept. 20, 2002 | 10:44 a.m.

Though temperatures Wednesday topped 90 degrees, Rafael Valencia was freezing.

Behind a blue curtain in University Medical Center's emergency room, he was bundled in hospital blankets after complaining of a hacking cough, congestion, fever and chills.

"I'm usually not too quick to catch colds," Valencia, 43, said. "But this definitely feels like the flu."

Valencia, who had been sick for about two weeks, spent most of the morning in the ER as doctors ran a series of blood tests. Outside the double doors, patients in the crowded waiting room spilled onto the concrete walkway outside.

As fall makes its approach into the Las Vegas Valley, Valencia is one of many Las Vegans who have fallen sick. Many local doctors say they haven't seen a rise in illness yet, but some have seen their waiting rooms fill up, even with the slight change in the weather.

The ones who are seeing more patients expect the trend to spread, as colds, the flu and strep throat make their rounds.

Experts warn that the change in seasons will likely bring a steady increase in viruses, with people who spend considerable time in confined offices or closed-in classrooms most at risk.

But doctors say the connection between cool weather and viruses is a misconception.

"There's nothing in the temperature change that makes people more susceptible to catching colds," said Patricia Alpert, a practicing family nurse practitioner at UMC and chair of UNLV's graduate nursing program.

Alpert said she has seen a significant increase in cold and flu symptoms within the past few weeks such as cough, runny nose, fever and congestion. But she blames the increase in viruses on the shift in lifestyle that has come with the change of pace that fall, and the start of school, brings.

"In the summer people stay outdoors more. They're more active," she said. "In the winter people stay indoors more and they're confined in close quarters. The more time you spend indoors, the more chance you have of catching a virus."

Dr. Amarjit Pannu, a North Las Vegas pediatrician who has within the past two weeks seen a rash of children with symptoms such as fever and strep throat, agrees. "There is not as much ventilation indoors," she said. "You can actually go in a grocery store and come out with a virus."

Poor ventilation creates an incubator-like environment for germs to fester. Contributing to that, many modern buildings have few windows. In the buildings with windows, they often can't be opened to let in fresh air.

"It's actually more polluted indoors than outdoors," Pannu said. "Seventy-five percent of the air is recirculated. So when children are in classrooms, it's not as if they are in a classroom just with 30 or 40 kids but with hundreds and hundreds, because the whole building has the same air conditioning. So if someone gets sick, the whole building gets sick."

Marsha McElhenie, a nurse at Coronado High School in Henderson, said she typically sees an increase in viruses during the first few weeks of school. Since classes began, she's seen an average of 20 to 30 kids a day.

"In a school of more than 2,500 students that's nothing too out of the ordinary," she said.

But many cold and flu symptoms are often confused for allergies. Allergist Victor Cohen said it's an easy mistake. While an allergic reaction often induces common allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes and sneezing, the later phase of a reaction can include flu-like symptoms such as congestion, cough and post-nasal drip.

While fall marks the beginning of the second allergy season, in which weeds and desert shrubs are pollinated, Cohen says that people who experience these symptoms and don't have a history of allergies may have a virus.

"In general viruses are more epidemic," he said. "The opportunity for little viral epidemics is definitely greater this time of year."

September has also seen an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children, a condition that involves the plugging of small airways with mucus and can be life-threatening in infants. Other symptoms are similar to those of cold and flu, such as congestion and cough. Also called bronchiolitis, RSV is most common during winter months.

The low hanging clouds that typically loom over the valley during September and October could also be a culprit.

"Overcast causes an inversion system," Alpert said. "The clouds act like a blanket over the city, keeping the pollutants in. They sit over the city instead of moving on, so there is more pollution in the air."

While there's no surefire way to ensure not getting sick, doctors say a strong immune system is key to fighting infectious bacteria. Frequent hand washing, a healthy diet and getting enough rest and exercise are a few steps to helping ward off viruses. Drinking plenty of water helps flush the system.

"The old wives' tale is true," Alpert said. "It's all about plain old good hygiene."