What are the effects of pulmonary edema to a human?
Answers
Pulmonary edema is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs. This buildup of fluid leads to shortness of breath.
Causes
Pulmonary edema is often caused by congestive heart failure. When the heart is not able to pump efficiently, blood can back up into the veins that take blood through the lungs.
As the pressure in these blood vessels increases, fluid is pushed into the air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs. This fluid reduces normal oxygen movement through the lungs. These two factors combine to cause shortness of breath.
Lungs
Congestive heart failure that leads to pulmonary edema may be caused by:
Heart attack, or any disease of the heart that weakens or stiffens the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Leaking or narrowed heart valves (mitral or aortic valves)
Sudden, severe high blood pressure (hypertension)
Pulmonary edema may also be caused by:
Certain medicines
High altitude exposure
Kidney failure
Narrowed arteries that bring blood to the kidneys
Lung damage caused by poisonous gas or severe infection
Major injury