Is ‘Dry Drowning’ Real? | Mental Floss
Each summer, articles warning parents of the subtle signs of drowning start spreading across social media. The portrayal of the threat—as a silent killer that parents may not see before it’s too late, contrary to the dramatic scenes portrayed in movies and TV—may be what’s fueling the latest batch of misinformation making the rounds online.In the past month, ABC News, Prevention, and People have reported on the dangers of “dry drowning” or “secondary drowning”—a condition that, according to medical professionals, doesn’t exist. Every piece describes the same phenomenon: A child swallows water while playing in a pool or at the beach, but appears to recover quickly. Then up to 24 hours later, they start to exhibit life-threatening symptoms such as fever and difficultly breathing. The cause is either the inhaled water triggering spasms in their airways or water in the lungs leading to swelling and inflammation. Read more…
Source: http://mentalfloss.com