How did the community do during these recent cold snap?

 

James Grow, an emergency medicine physician at #FloridaCoastMedicalCenter, explained the impact of cold weather on the immune system.

 

"Part of that is a shock to your immune system. You become a little bit more immunocompromised. Your body has to burn a lot of calories and a lot of your fluid off naturally to stay warm. People don't realize this, but that makes you just more susceptible to things like dehydration," Grow said.

 

Across the #PalmBeachHealthNetwork, hundreds of patients have been treated for conditions that worsen during colder weather. Grow noted that Florida's humidity drops significantly during cold spells, exacerbating respiratory conditions.

 

"And now you're inhaling all the things that will make you irritated and exacerbate conditions like asthma and COPD, sarcoidosis, fibrotic lung disease and these will allow things like pneumonia and upper respiratory infections to take effect," he said.