Water in Lungs

The term water in lungs is also known as Pulmonary Edema, which is a disorder of the lungs that causes respiratory problems. If a person has water in his/her lungs, then it cuts off the normal level of oxygen intake, and thus what happens is that several organs of the body do not get proper oxygen supply, due to which they stop functioning properly and the person also suffers from various lung diseases. There are several causes for this disorder, as well as symptoms and treatments. Let us see what they are.

Causes

The lungs are spongy organs which are located just behind the rib cage. They are the main organs that help us in breathing; their main function is to take oxygen from the air, transport it to the various cells of the body, collect the various waste products i.e. carbon dioxide from these cells and release them outside the body. If the lungs do not function properly, then our body cells will not receive oxygen properly and thus they will not function properly. If a person is drowning, then in that panicking situation, he/she might inhale a large amount of water, which enters the lungs and cuts off the supply of oxygen. Due to this the person become unconscious and if the water is not ejected, then the person might also die.

Heart disorders can also lead to fluid filled lungs. Disorder causes the fluids in the blood vessels to carry the blood to the lungs and away from the heart. What happens then is that pressure starts building up in the veins and thus, fluid seeps into the alveoli.

Pneumonia also causes the formation of water in the lungs and so does overdose of drugs and heroin. A person climbing a high mountain, can also face this problem. Also, while drinking water, if we breath in by mistake, then the water, instead of going down the food pipe, goes down the air pipe; this leads to the health condition.

Symptoms

When a person suffers from the problem of water or fluid in lungs, then he/she show several symptoms, which will show that he/she is suffering from this disorder. Some of the common symptoms are:

• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing sound can be heard while breathing
• Gurgling sound in the chest
• Fatigue
• Feels lethargic and complains of weakness
• Heart rate increases rapidly
• Chest pain
• While sleeping, breathing stops for few seconds
• Constant cough and along with it there is blood tinged sputum
• Swelling of feet and ankles
• Feeling of restlessness
• The person gasps for air and has breathing problems.

A person showing these symptoms, should be given immediate medical attention. Otherwise, his skin might turn blue, due to lack of oxygen supply in the body and he might become unconscious. Sometimes, due to no treatment, the person might also die.

Treatment Options

When a person has taken in too much water and has become unconscious, then the best thing that one should do is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. This is done to get the water out from the lungs and if this is done properly, the victim will vomit out the water and start breathing normally. After that however, he/she have to be taken to the doctor for thorough check up for the presence of any infection in the lungs. There are several lung infection treatment that the doctor will tell you about.

Doctors will also give the patient antibiotics or antivirals in order to check against the spread of infection when there is water in the lungs. Corticosteroids are also useful for controlling any kind of infection, mucus production and any sort of inflammation.

As soon as the person is given the basic treatments, he/she should be taken to the doctor immediately in order to prevent further spread of infection in the lungs. If treatment is given on time, then there will not be any problem.