About pulmonary edema

What is pulmonary edema?

Pulmonary edema is a disease that is caused due to congestion of liquid substances in the lungs. It is also known as pulmonary congestion. It is related to our respiratory system. When you get this disease, there may be a high risk of respiratory system failure. 

You may get this disease due to the following circumstances:

  • Failure of the heart to pump blood 
  • Injury to the lung due to breathing toxic gases, other infections in the lung, etc.
  • Due to exposure to some kinds of dangerous drugs.
  • Some kinds of heart diseases. 
  • According to some sources, when your blood pressure becomes high suddenly, the risk of getting pulmonary edema also increases.
  • Being exposed to highly populated areas. When you inhale toxic gas, it causes damage to your lung
  • When you suffer from pneumonia, you may also risk pulmonary edema.



There are many ways to prevent this disease. This disease can be prevented in the following ways:

  • The first step in the prevention of Pulmonary edema is to improve the function of the respiratory system
  • The second way of treatment is to prevent any injury to the lung.

Conditions

  • Due to exposure to some kinds of dangerous drugs.
  • Some kinds of heart diseases. 

Symptoms of Pulmonary Edema

  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Feeling tired
  • Having severe cough
  • Extreme headache

List of Drugs used to treat this disease

  • Furosemide
  • Oramorph
  • MS Contin
  • Nitroglycerin

Pulmonary edema may occur suddenly, or it may develop over time without even your knowledge. Therefore you should be very careful while getting any symptoms of this disease.

What are the symptoms for pulmonary edema?

Due to a lack of awareness, many people face the repercussions caused by Pulmonary Edema. To prevent any disease, you have to be aware of the symptoms of the disease. Likewise, to prevent Pulmonary Edema, you should know the symptoms of this dangerous disease. 

The following symptoms may be the sign that you have Pulmonary Edema.

  • Difficulty in breathing when you are involved in some physical activities
  • Get Snoring while you are asleep
  • Difficulty in breathing while sleeping at night
  • Gain a lot of body weight within a short period
  • Feeling Tired even while resting
  • Headache
  • Increase of heartbeat
  • Feeling Tired while walking 
  • Bleeding while coughing
  • Swelling of the lower part of the body, including the legs
  • Acute pain in the chest


Once you get to see some of the symptoms mentioned above, you should consult with a doctor. It would help if you visited a doctor in the following circumstances:

To find out whether it is pulmonary edema or not, your doctor may suggest you take the following steps

  • To test the sample of your blood
  • To get an X-ray of the chest
  •  To check oxygen in the blood

The symptoms of Pulmonary edema

List of Drugs used to treat this disease

  • Furosemide
  • Oramorph
  • MS Contin
  • Nitroglycerin

Conditions

  • Due to exposure to some kinds of dangerous drugs.
  • Some kinds of heart diseases. 


The only solution to save yourself from pulmonary edema is to take the right step once you get any symptoms mentioned above

What are the causes for pulmonary edema?

Congestive heart failure is a common cause of pulmonary edema. 

  • Other less common medical conditions that can cause pulmonary edema include diarrhea, blood pressure issues, infections, and blood vessel narrowing.
  • External factors can also increase the pressure on the heart and lungs, resulting in pulmonary edema. These external factors are as high altitude exposure, illicit drug use or, drug overdose, lung damage caused by inhalation of toxins, severe trauma, major injury, and near-drowning.
  • Noncardiogenic causes of pulmonary edema are those that are not caused by poor heart function; they are typically caused by ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). This is a severe lung inflammation that causes pulmonary edema and significant breathing difficulties.
  • Some of the common symptoms of the same are feeling lightheaded, dizzy, weak, sweaty, or a drop in blood pressure. 
  • Other symptoms also include being exhausted all the time, rapid weight gain, when you're active, you have more breathing problems than usual, legs and feet are swollen or when lying down having difficulty breathing, waking up in the middle of the night feeling out of breath, which improves when you sit up.

What are the treatments for pulmonary edema?

Oxygen supplementation is the first line of treatment for acute pulmonary edema. Oxygen is usually obtained from a face mask or nasal cannula. This is a flexible plastic tube with two openings that direct oxygen to each nostril. This should relieve some of your symptoms. 

  • Your doctor will carefully monitor your oxygen levels. You may need to support breathing with a device such as a ventilator or a ventilator that provides positive airway pressure.
  • Like other forms of pulmonary edema, oxygen is usually the first treatment. If oxygenation is not available, a portable high-pressure chamber can be used. It mimics a few hours of descent before being able to move to low altitudes.
  • Your doctor may recommend a low-salt diet. If you need help, a dietitian will measure the salt level in your food and teach you how to put together a delicious, nutritious diet. In general, most people need to consume less than 2,300 milligrams of salt (sodium) per day. Ask your doctor which level is safe for you. 

  • Lifestyle changes can help you manage some forms of pulmonary edema. Being slightly overweight can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Losing small amounts of weight can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of diabetes.

What are the risk factors for pulmonary edema?

Pulmonary edema requires medical care. The disease is also associated with the following risk:

Risk factors for pulmonary edema

  • Hypertension : a person may experience high blood pressure. If a person experiences a blood pressure level exceeding the reading of 120/80mmHg, then it’s hypertension.
  • Kidney disease or kidney failure: the person experiencing pulmonary edema might find the kidney working improperly.
  • Obesity: the person might gain unhealthy weight that will ultimately affect the heart.
  • Diabetes: generally, most heart patients are associated with diabetes. They might experience a decline or elevation of sugar in their normal blood sugar level.
  • Severe asthma: this is an exaggerated form of normal asthma. Victims of severe asthma often find it difficult to control the symptoms.
  • Pneumonia: it is an inflammatory lung infection in which the lungs are filled with fluid or pus.
  • Lung infection: it happens when hazardous microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses enter the lungs and cause damage.
  • Sepsis: occurs when an infection already presents in the body triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Moreover, These infections start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract
  • Alcohol overconsumption
  • Severe trauma or injury

Is there a cure/medications for pulmonary edema?

Yes, Pulmonary edema has a cure/ medication. The doctor will diagnose you with a few tests, including marking a track of your oxygen level and prescribing treatment following diagnosis.

Cure/medication for pulmonary edema.

  • Diuretics: These are water pills that help you to remove extra water and salt from the body. The doctor may prescribe diuretics to decrease the pressure caused by extra fluids in the lungs and heart.
  • Morphine: The doctor may recommend this narcotic to be consumed orally or injected into the veins to relieve the shortness of breath.
  • Blood pressure drugs: Patients who develop high or lower blood pressure during pulmonary edema are prescribed medication like nitroprusside and nitroglycerin. These medicines will lower the pressure going into or out of the heart.
  • Inotropes: This medicine is injected into the veins if the patient has severe heart failure. Inotropes will change the force of heart contraction. 
  • Stop extensive exercising as it will pump the blood into the body faster, making pulmonary edema worse.
  • Reducing salt intake in the body will help to fight edema as salt can reduce fluid retention in the body.
  • A breathing tube may be placed in your trachea to increase the presence of blood oxygen level. 

List of condition

It is a medical condition in which  numerous air sacs of the lungs are filled with fluid making it difficult for a person to breathe.

List of drugs

  • Furosemide
  • Oramorph
  • MS Contin
  • Nitroglycerin

List of symptoms:

  •  Sudden weight loss
  • Difficulty sleeping 
  • Chest in pain while coughing.

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