Hello, this is Ilwon Station Exit 1 Pharmacy.
The word drowning is a sad word that you often hear on the news during the summer.
Have you heard the word dry drowning?
Drowning is when liquid is aspirated into the airway and suffocates, and is basically death by asphyxiation.
Since even a small amount of water is enough to block the airway,
you can drown even if you are not completely submerged in water, and among these, dry drowning is a phenomenon in which you suffocate outside the water due to water swallowed in the water.
Some of the water you drink enters the lungs, causing inflammation and contraction,
leading to suffocation, which is the same as drowning in the water, causing difficulty breathing and brain damage.
Dry drowning accounts for about 20% of drownings, and the cause is high in children who are not good at swimming or those who are just starting to swim, and there are various causes such as sudden entry into the water, and airway obstruction due to water inhaled unknowingly, but nothing has been precisely identified.
It is mainly caused by hypoxia due to laryngospasm,
and it occurs most commonly in young children under 5 years of age.
Dry drowning is difficult to detect in the early stages because there are no particular symptoms when drinking water, but physical changes appear within up to 48 hours.
Symptoms of dry drowning include shortness of breath due to laryngospasm,
difficulty speaking, irritability or abnormal behavior, frequent coughing, chest pain, fatigue or drowsiness after playing in the water, etc.
It is especially important to closely monitor the condition of a young child,
because they may struggle and a large amount of water may enter their lungs, and may not be able to speak or express symptoms if they have difficulty breathing.
