Medindia » Consumer Health » Health Information » Respiratory Distress Syndrome - Symptoms and Diagnosis

Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Rating : 4 /5
Rate this Article:

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Facebook Twitter StumbleUpon Digg Reddit DeliciusRSS Feeds   Text 
Patients with ARDS show breathlessness leading to respiratory fatigue and respiratory failure.

Symptoms of Acute (or Adult) Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) usually begin within 12 to 36 hours of exposure to the risk factor, though they may sometimes be delayed by 5 to 7 days. The patient shows features of the underlying cause such as trauma or infection. The patient suffers from the following symptoms:

Initially, the patient suffers from breathlessness with shallow breathing. The patient may breathe faster leading to respiratory fatigue and respiratory failure.

From the 7th to the 21st day, the patient may show improvement and be removed from a ventilator. Some patients may continue to show breathlessness, increase in respiratory rate and low oxygen levels.

Patients usually recover after 3 to 4 weeks. Some patients however may worsen and develop scarring of the lungs. These patients require mechanical ventilation and oxygen over prolonged periods.

Diagnosis of ARDS

Blood gases: The blood level of oxygen and carbon dioxide as well as the acidity of the blood is altered in patients with ARDS.

Chest x-ray: Chest x-ray may show opaque areas in the lungs.

Chest CT scan: Chest CT scan helps to diagnose the condition.

Kidney function tests: The kidneys may be damaged during the course of the illness; hence kidney functions should be monitored.
Advertisement

EmailEmail RSS FeedsRSS Feeds Print this pagePrint Save this pageSave LinkLink SyndicateSyndicate
Share it!

Related Links

Respiratory Diseases


Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general info about Respiratory ...

Pneumonia - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQs


Pneumonia is infection of one or both lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or ...

Respiratory System


What happens when you Breathe? Learn about Respiratory System and process of ...

Gene That Protect Infants from Respiratory Distress Syndrome Isolated


Yale School of Medicine researchers have isolated a gene that helps protect newborns from the most common respiratory cause of infant death in the ...

Poractant Alfa


This medication is a surface-active lipoprotein, prescribed for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature ...

Tracheostomy


Tracheostomy is a surgical procedure of making an incision in the trachea (windpipe) for creating a surgical ...
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X
Citing this Health Article
The information on Medindia is factual, unbiased and authentic. If you find the content useful - PLEASE INCLUDE A LINK TO THIS PAGE.

Highlight the text, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.