The condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is brought on by fluid accumulation in the lungs’ tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli), which prevents the lungs from filling with enough air and reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to the bloodstream, depriving organs of the oxygen they require to function.
The main symptom of ARDS, severe shortness of breath, typically appears a few hours to a few days after the triggering injury or infection in people who are already critically ill or who have significant injuries.
SYMPTOMS OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME
Depending on the cause, the severity, and the presence of underlying heart or lung disease, the signs and symptoms of ARDS can vary in severity. They include:
- Severe shortness of breath
- breathing that is difficult and unusually quick
- Low blood pressure
- Confusion and extreme tiredness
CAUSES OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME
Normally, a protective membrane keeps this fluid in the vessels; however, severe illness or injury can cause damage to the membrane, resulting in the fluid leakage of ARDS. This fluid leakage is the mechanical cause of ARDS.
ARDS has underlying causes like:
- Sepsis.Sepsis, a severe and pervasive bloodstream infection, is the most typical cause of ARDS.
- Inhalation of harmful substances.ARDS may develop as a result of breathing toxic fumes, high smoke concentrations, aspirating vomit, or near-drowning incidents.
- Severe pneumonia.All five lung lobes are typically affected by severe pneumonia cases.
- Head, chest or other major injury.Accidental harm to the lungs or the area of the brain that regulates breathing can result directly from slips, trips, or crashes.
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Severe COVID-19 patients may experience ARDS.
- Others.Burns, heavy blood transfusions, and pancreatitis (pancreatic inflammation).
RISK FACTOR
You’re especially at risk if you have a widespread infection in your bloodstream (sepsis), as most people who develop ARDS are already in the hospital for another condition, and many are critically ill.
A history of long-term alcohol abuse puts a person at greater risk for both developing ARDS and dying from it.
COMPLICATION
The following are the most typical issues that can arise if you have ARDS while you’re in the hospital:
- Blood clots.If you’re on a ventilator and lying still in the hospital, you’re at a higher risk of getting blood clots, especially in the deep veins of your legs, where they can form blood blockages in your lungs (pulmonary embolism) if a piece of the clot breaks off and travels to one or both of your lungs.
- Collapsed lung (pneumothorax).However, the pressure and air volume of the ventilator can force gas to go through a small hole in the very outside of a lung and cause that lung to collapse. In most ARDS cases, a breathing machine called a ventilator is used to increase oxygen in the body and force fluid out of the lungs.
- Infections.It is much simpler for germs to infect and further harm your lungs because the ventilator is directly connected to a tube placed in your windpipe.
- Scarring (pulmonary fibrosis).Within a few weeks of the onset of ARDS, scarring and tissue thickening in the space between the air sacs can happen, stiffening your lungs and making it even harder for oxygen to reach your bloodstream from the air sacs.
More people are surviving ARDS as a result of better treatments, but many of them suffer from potentially harmful and occasionally long-lasting effects:
- Breathing problems.Even people who do well usually have shortness of breath and fatigue and may need supplemental oxygen at home for a few months; many people with ARDS recover most of their lung function within several months to two years; however, others may have breathing problems for the rest of their lives.
- Depression.Additionally, the majority of ARDS patients report having episodes of treatable depression.
- Problems with memory and thinking clearly.After ARDS, memory loss and cognitive difficulties may result from sedatives and low blood oxygen levels; in some cases, the effects may fade over time, but in others, the damage may be irreversible.
- Tiredness and muscle weakness.Your muscles may deteriorate while you are in the hospital and on a ventilator, and you may experience extreme fatigue after treatment.
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE FOR ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME
A state of complete health can only be regained by removing all signs and symptoms from which the patient is suffering, and one of the most well-known holistic systems of medicine is homeopathy. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using a holistic approach.
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