The human body is like a very complexmechanism, for the successful functioning of which it is very important that all its organs and systems without exception are healthy. But, unfortunately, the human body is extremely vulnerable - there are a huge number of different diseases and pathologies. Moreover, it is very often impossible to predict from which side to expect trouble. In this article, we will talk about such a phenomenon as pulmonary edema, the consequences of which are extremely severe. And, what is most terrible, even the most experienced doctors still cannot always establish the cause that provoked pulmonary edema in each specific case. However, a certain trend can still be tracked.
What is pulmonary edema and what are its symptoms?
As is known, it is with the help of the lungs that the bodya person is supplied with vital oxygen. In the same case, if for one reason or another there is an excess of blood in the lungs, the pressure in the pulmonary capillaries increases significantly. As an inevitable consequence, fluid penetrates the alveoli, thereby disrupting the normal process of gas exchange. We will talk about why this can happen a little later. But now let's figure out how to determine that a person has developed pulmonary edema, and not some other lung pathology. Timely diagnosis is very, very important, because in such cases it is not even a matter of hours, but minutes. And it is very important to recognize the problem as quickly as possible and call an ambulance. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that acute pulmonary edema does not develop in all cases. In about 50% of cases, there is a slow progression of pulmonary edema - in this case, the prognosis is more favorable, since doctors have more time to help a sick person. So:
- Symptoms of slowly developing pulmonary edema:
In the event that pulmonary edema developsgradually, a person will increasingly notice shortness of breath. At first, shortness of breath will appear only during physical exertion, but over time, the level of physical exertion that can lead to the development of shortness of breath will decrease. In severe stages, shortness of breath will torment a person even in a state of complete physical rest. In addition, with pulmonary edema in sick people, doctors note tachypnea in almost all cases. This term refers to rapid breathing, without any apparent reason. Moreover, rapid breathing develops synchronously with shortness of breath. At first, it appears during physical exertion, then in a calm state. Such a phenomenon should never be ignored, since rapid breathing can indicate various other diseases. And with pulmonary edema, rapid breathing occurs only at fairly advanced stages. Very often, sick people complain of attacks of dizziness, the frequency of which increases as the edema develops. In addition, the general picture of the disease is complemented by increased fatigue, drowsiness, and deterioration of the general well-being of a person. All these symptoms should alert the sick person and his relatives. At the first signs, it is necessary to seek help from doctors as soon as possible. When examining and examining a sick person, doctors most often detect hypoxia - a low oxygen content in the blood. And, as a result, oxygen starvation develops very quickly - because of which many internal organs and systems suffer. Therefore, a wide variety of diseases can occur - so it is simply unrealistic to predict them all. When a doctor listens to a patient's lungs with a stethoscope, atypical sounds are often heard - wheezing and gurgling. They arise precisely because an excess amount of fluid accumulates in the alveoli of the sick person's lungs. Although, of course, the severity of these symptoms depends only on the stage of the disease.
- Symptoms of acute pulmonary edema:
In the event that a person has pulmonary edemadevelops lightning fast, there are many more symptoms and they manifest themselves differently. As a rule, in most cases, pulmonary edema develops at night, when a person is sleeping. Suddenly waking up, a person feels severe suffocation. The patient looks very agitated - he sits up in bed, begins to breathe extremely heavily, panting. After a couple of minutes, a short, spasmodic cough appears. The first few minutes, the patient coughs up sputum of normal consistency, but as the edema progresses, it becomes more and more liquid, turning almost into water. It becomes more and more difficult for the patient to breathe - he even involves auxiliary respiratory muscles in this process. The lower border of the lungs is located at the lowest point almost all the time of the attack, as with a deep breath. If you listen to the patient with a stethoscope at this moment, you can hear the strongest wheezing, whistling and gurgling sounds. Although in particularly severe cases a stethoscope is not needed for this - it is enough to simply bend over the sick person lower. Blood pressure is most often either within the normal range, or, on the contrary, elevated. Especially in those cases when it is precisely elevated blood pressure that becomes the primary cause of pulmonary edema. This also occurs, although rarely. However, this does not apply to venous pressure - it is always low. The face of the sick person turns pale, pronounced cyanosis appears. Very often sticky cold sweat appears. The emotional state of the sick person also changes greatly - he experiences not just excitement, but a real panic fear of death. This fear should not be ignored under any circumstances - it only aggravates the severity of the attack. It is necessary to try to calm the sick person, instill in him confidence in a successful outcome. The duration of the attack is approximately 25 - 30 minutes. And it is very important to provide the patient with qualified medical care as soon as possible. Otherwise, the risk of death during the attack is very high. It is simply impossible to do without medical care for pulmonary edema, no matter what caused it. The patient should be hospitalized in the intensive care unit as soon as possible, especially if the edema develops acutely. Although in some cases outpatient treatment is also possible - if the process is chronic and sluggish. For example, this most often happens if the cause of chronic edema is congestive heart failure. However, even in this case, the patient should be regularly monitored by the attending physician, who will monitor the condition and, if necessary, adjust the course of treatment. As a rule, such patients are monitored by doctors such as a therapist - a specialist in diseases of internal organs, a cardiologist - a specialist in diseases of the cardiovascular system, or a pulmonologist - a specialist in pulmonary diseases. Everything depends only on what exactly caused the development of pulmonary edema.
Diagnosis of pulmonary edema
To make a correct diagnosis, doctorsuse a variety of techniques. One of the leading ones for many years has been and remains chest X-ray examination. When examining a picture of healthy lungs, they look like a light area with darkening only in the area of the heart and large blood vessels. If a person has developed pulmonary edema, the enlightenment of the lung fields is extremely uneven. In particularly severe cases, significant turbidity is observed, and the pattern of the lungs is visualized extremely poorly. Shading on the lung picture is precisely the filling of the pulmonary alveoli with fluid. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that an X-ray examination of a sick person can only tell about the presence or absence of pulmonary edema. But it is simply impossible to establish the underlying cause that led to the development of edema using an X-ray. In order to reliably determine the cause of the development of pulmonary edema, doctors must conduct a thorough analysis of the clinical picture of the attack. Often, a detailed study of the patient's examination data, his story and a general examination make it possible to obtain all the information necessary to identify the underlying cause of the edema. There are many methods for diagnosing pulmonary edema, but there is no point in talking about them in more detail, since this information will only be understandable to medical workers. For an ordinary person, such a story will be just a set of medical terms.
Treatment of pulmonary edema
As is already clear from all of the above - swellingof the lungs is an extremely serious pathology. And ignoring it means putting the life of a sick person in serious danger. However, you cannot take any measures on your own. All treatment should be prescribed and carried out by medical workers. Treatment is prescribed taking into account many factors: the severity of pulmonary edema, the causes that caused the edema. For example, if the edema is of cardiogenic origin, drugs for the treatment of heart failure are used. Pulmonary edema is most often observed during a stroke. In addition, a whole course of treatment for cardiac pathology is carried out. In the event that the edema continues to progress, in addition to drugs for the treatment of heart failure, diuretics are most often prescribed. In some cases, these measures are not enough. And the sick person still has to be hospitalized for more intensive treatment. In the same case, if pulmonary edema is caused, for example, by some serious infection, active intensive antibacterial or antiviral therapy is mandatory. If the problem is in the kidneys, all measures should be aimed at eliminating renal failure. Only with complex therapy can renal failure be managed. In the case of acute edema, doctors are forced to resort to intensive care. In almost all cases, oxygen is inhaled, and in especially severe cases, artificial ventilation of the lungs is performed. This measure alone will not help eliminate pulmonary edema, but it will give doctors time to find out the cause and begin the necessary treatment. Very often, it is these hours won by doctors from the disease that help save a person's life. Before the ambulance team arrives, you can try to provide first aid to the sick person. It consists of providing free access of fresh air to the sick person. Open all the windows, unbutton collars, free the person from tight clothing and belts. This is the only thing you can do yourself in such a situation. But very often this simple measure allows you to save a person's life.
How to avoid pulmonary edema?
Pulmonary edema is extremely dangerous not only forhealth, but also for human life. If the swelling lasts for a very long time, there is a high risk of developing severe hypoxia - oxygen starvation. And first of all, the brain and central nervous system suffer greatly. And what all this can all turn into - it is not difficult to guess: from mild vegetative disorders to severe lesions of the nervous system. Therefore, all doctors unanimously urge people to try to minimize the risk of developing such a complication. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of developing pulmonary edema, but it is still worth taking some measures. Firstly, if a person suffers from heart disease, he should be under constant medical supervision. It is unacceptable to neglect taking medications and following doctors' recommendations. You should also not forget that in some cases, this or that allergen can cause pulmonary edema. Therefore, a person who knows about his allergic predisposition should avoid contact with allergens in every possible way. Otherwise, the risk of pulmonary edema increases many times over. By the way, allergy sufferers should always have antihistamines with them in case of a sudden allergic attack. If a person works in harmful conditions associated with the inhalation of various chemicals, he should also take precautions - work in a respirator, follow all the rules and regularly attend preventive examinations. At the first symptoms of pulmonary edema, a person should seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. And finally, I would like to remind you of such a danger as smoking. Very often, with pulmonary edema, doctors find the root cause - inhalation of toxic fumes, infections, heart disease. However, almost no one associates this phenomenon with the fact that a sick person systematically smokes. But nicotine is a real catalyst for all pathological processes, not only in the lungs of a person, but also in the whole body. Therefore, if a sick person has even the slightest prerequisites for the development of pulmonary edema, he needs to get rid of such a bad habit as soon as possible. Of course, quitting smoking is not so easy, but it is quite possible. If only there is a desire. After all, human health is the most precious thing there is. And people very often worsen their well-being with their own actions.
