Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating, inflammatory lung condition that can cause sudden and often fatal respiratory failure. (Read about "Respiratory System") This is not the same as respiratory distress syndrome in infants, which is a complication often seen in premature babies. (Read about "Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Infants" "Preterm Labor") It should also not to be confused with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which is a respiratory disease that has sickened thousands around the world. (Read about "SARS")

What is ARDS

ARDS is not a specific disease, but a type of acute lung dysfunction that is associated with a variety of diseases, such as pneumonia, shock, sepsis (Read about "Pneumonia" "Sepsis") and trauma, according to the ARDS Support Center (ASC). It may also be associated with extensive surgery, certain blood abnormalities and even drowning (Read about "Water Safety") or inhalation of toxic gases (Read about causes of "Occupational Respiratory Diseases"), according to the American Lung Association (ALA). In nearly all cases, the onset of ARDS occurs within 24 to 72 hours of the original illness or injury.

ALA says tens of thousands of Americans are affected with ARDS each year and approximately 40 percent of them will die from the condition. Those who have a milder form of ARDS are more likely to survive, as are younger people and those with fewer chronic health problems. It is also known that the cause of a patient's ARDS helps determine the chances for recovery, according to ASC. For example, patients who develop ARDS due to sepsis usually do not do as well as patients whose ARDS is related to trauma.

Treatment

There are no real treatments for ARDS itself. Instead, treatment is supportive and aimed at helping the patient breathe while the lungs heal. To do this, mechanical ventilation is used along with a supportive breathing technique called positive end expiratory pressure or PEEP (which keeps the lungs expanded to help get oxygen into the bloodstream). These methods are combined with continuing treatment of the initial illness, such as sepsis, shock or trauma.

Although ARDS has a relatively high fatality rate, progress is being made. A recent study suggests that patients receiving small, rather than large breaths of air from a ventilator reduced the number of deaths by 25 percent, according to ALA. Other studies are being done to determine if the use of steroids may be helpful. (Read about "Clinical Studies") There are many experimental therapies that are showing promise, including replacement surfactant (a natural substance that keeps the lung air sacs open) and the use of medications such as anti-inflammatories.

Related Information:

    Glossary of Respiratory Terms