Pulmonary Edema Symptoms You Should Know to Save Your Life
What is Pulmonary Edema?
Pulmonary edema symptoms come about as a result of a heart failure. When your heart begins to fail, pressure in your veins increases and pushes fluid into the alveoli, or air spaces, of your lungs. This fluid build-up interferes with normal oxygen flow through the lungs and causes shortness of breath.
Causes
Pulmonary edema can occur due to severe infection or trauma which results in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), where the lungs fill up with fluid and inflammatory white blood cells. Other causes include exposure to poisonous toxins such as ammonia or chlorine, smoke inhalation or side effects of medications.
Pulmonary edemas can also occur as a complication from heart attacks or heart conditions that impair heart function, such as cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle) or narrowed or leaking aortic or mitral valves. Fluid buildup associated with kidney failure can also lead to lung damage caused by fluid in the lungs. Performing strenuous activity at very high altitudes may also cause pulmonary edema.
Signs and Symptoms
Call 911 immediately if you experience any of the following pulmonary edema symptoms: extreme difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; feeling like you’re drowning or suffocating, known as dyspnea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea if it awakens you from sleep; wheezing or gasping for air; chain pain; irregular heartbeat; sweating excessively and a cough that produces a froth-like sputum tinged with blood.
Symptoms Associated With Heart Failure
Pulmonary edema symptoms brought on by heart failure occur more slowly and gradual over a period of time. These symptoms include more shortness of breath than usual after physical activity; trouble breathing during exertion when you’re lying down as opposed to sitting up; waking up at night with a breathless feeling that goes away when you sit up; rapid weight gain from fluid buildup, particularly in your legs; loss of appetite and fatigue.
Symptoms Associated with High Altitudes
Signs of pulmonary edema at high altitudes include insomnia, fluid retention, cough, headache and shortness of breath. Persons with mild symptoms of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) can usually get relief once they descend a few thousand feet or with the use of oxygen. For more serious symptoms, immediate helicopter rescue may be necessary.
Other Symptoms
Other symptoms that warrant medical advice or attention include anxiety, nasal flaring, impaired alertness or consciousness and inability to speak in full sentences.
Complications
Untreated pulmonary edema can cause leg and abdominal swelling, swelling and congestion of the liver and pleural effusion–a buildup of fluid in the membranes surround your lungs. It can also lead to death, even if it is treated. Getting medical attention sooner rather increases your chances of survival.
Treatment and Prognosis
The first course of treatment is administering oxygen either through a face mask, plastic tubes placed in the nose or breathing tube placed into the trachea (windpipe). In some cases a patient may need to be put on a ventilator to assist with breathing, and some patients may require a breathing machine for a long period of time after treatment. Medication may also be prescribed to treat the underlying causes of the pulmonary edema.
References
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000140.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pulmonary-edema/DS00412/DSECTION=symptoms