Question

Mechanistically, why is pulmonary edema a threat to life? Thinking as creatively as possible, list three distinctly different potential causes of pulmonary edema.

Answer 1

Pulmonary edema is excess fluid in the lungs caused by heart and/or kidney failure. It can compromise gas exchange and be life-threatening. Potential causes include fluid leakage due to heart failure, blood clots from deep vein thrombosis, and damage to blood vessels or reduced osmotic pressure in severe liver disease.

Step-by-step explanation:

Pulmonary edema is excess fluid in the air sacs of the lungs, a common symptom of heart and/or kidney failure. Pulmonary edema can be life threatening because it compromises gas exchange in the lungs, leading to difficulty breathing and chest pain. There are three distinctly different potential causes of pulmonary edema:

1. In heart failure, fluid leakage occurs in the pulmonary capillaries due to a backup of blood, increasing hydrostatic pressure and leading to fluid accumulation in the lungs.
2. In deep vein thrombosis, blood clots can break off and travel to the pulmonary arteries, causing a blockage and disrupting the flow of blood to the lungs.
3. In some cases, edema can occur due to damage to blood vessels and/or lymphatic vessels or a decrease in osmotic pressure in severe liver disease, resulting in the loss of water from the blood to the surrounding tissues.