Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications
Difficulty breathing is usually the first symptoms of ARDS. Other signs and symptoms of ARDS may vary depending on the underlying cause and how severely you are affected. ARDS may take several days to develop, or it can rapidly get worse. Complications may include blood clots , infections, additional lung problems, or organ failure.
Signs and symptoms
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Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications
Signs and symptoms that you are developing or are at risk for ARDS may include:
- Shortness of breath
- Fast breathing, or taking lots of rapid, shallow breaths
- Fast heart rate
- Coughing that produces phlegm
- Blue fingernails or blue tone to the skin or lips
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Crackling sound in the lungs
- Chest pain, especially when trying to breathe deeply
- Low blood pressure
- Confusion
If you have trouble breathing, call your doctor right away. If you have severe shortness of breath, call 9-1-1.
Complications
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Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications
If you have ARDS, you can develop other medical problems while in the hospital. Some can be life-threatening. The most common problems are:
- Atelectasis, when small air pockets in the lung collapse
- Complications of treatment in a hospital. Such complications include blood clots that can form from lying down for long periods, weakness in muscles used for breathing or moving around, infections, stress ulcers, and depression or other mood disorders. Problems with thinking, memory, and judgment also can result from the long-term use of sedative medicines.
- Failure of multiple organs. The body’s organs may not work as well or may stop working altogether if they do not get enough oxygen. This lack of oxygen may cause several organs to stop working at the same time, setting up a potentially life-threatening situation.
- Pulmonary hypertension, or an increase in blood pressure in the major artery leading from the heart to the lungs. This condition may occur when the blood vessel narrows as a result of damage from inflammation or mechanical ventilation. ARDS may also cause tiny clots to form in blood vessels in the lungs.
Learn more about how some people are more at risk of complications from ARDS.
Some studies indicate that the risk of life-threatening complications may be linked to race or ethnicity. They suggest that African Americans and Hispanics who develop ARDS are less likely than whites to survive. Research also indicates that men with ARDS are more likely than women to develop life-threatening problems.