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ARDS: Full Form, Symptoms, Complications, and Causes

By Anushree Goswami Last updated : December 9, 2023

ARDS: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

ARDS is an abbreviation for "Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome". It is a rigorous lung condition due to respiratory breakdown, in which lungs turn out to be rigorously provoked and fluid fills up in the tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. It may take place due to rigorous pulmonary damage or infection. In the start, it is clearly noticeable as dyspnea, tachypnea, or hypoxemia then over time develops and progresses into respiratory breakdown.

More about ARDS

As the fluid builds up in the lungs, less breathing space is left for the air so less oxygen is passed to the bloodstream. It is directed towards low oxygen levels in the blood. The organs don't get enough oxygen to carry out their functions appropriately.

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ARDS General Symptoms

The symptoms of ARDS generally come into sight within a few hours or a few days subsequent to the damage or infection.

Some of the general symptoms are:

• Rigorous shortness of breath
• Abnormal rapid breathing
• Low blood pressure
• Excessive tiredness
• Discolored skin or nails
• Dry cough and headaches
• Fast pulse rate
• Mental bewilderment

ARDS Complications

The Complications because of ARDS may comprise the following given below:

• Lungs: barotrauma (volutrauma), pulmonary embolism (PE), pulmonary fibrosis, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
• Gastrointestinal: bleeding (ulcer), dysmotility, pneumoperitoneum, bacterial translocation
• Neurological: Hypoxic brain damage
• Cardiac: abnormal heart rhythms, myocardial dysfunction
• Kidney: acute kidney failure, positive fluid balance
• Mechanical: vascular injury, pneumothorax (by placing pulmonary artery catheter), tracheal injury/stenosis (result of intubation and/or irritation by endotracheal tube)
• Nutritional: malnutrition (catabolic state), electrolyte abnormalities

Other complications that are in general related with ARDS comprise:

• Atelectasis
• Complications that take place from treatment in a hospital
• Breakdown of multiple organs
• Pulmonary hypertension or an increase in blood pressure in the main artery from the heart to the lungs.

ARDS Frequent Causes

The ARDS may arise due to several reasons, some of the most frequent causes are:

• Sepsis: A severe and extensive infection of the bloodstream.
• Harmful substances: Inhaling high concentrations of smoke, chemical pollutants, or fumes.
• Severe pneumonia: It affects all the lobes of the lungs.
• Major injury: Accidents that affect in major head, lungs or any other injury can damage the lungs or a section of the brain that manages breathing.
• Others: The other causes may comprise Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), burns, transfusion reaction, near-drowning, etc.