First signs of pulmonary embolism | Symptoms of pulmonary embolism

First signs of pulmonary embolism

In addition to a variety of typical symptoms that can occur in pulmonary embolism, some of these should be emphasized as the first signs that pulmonary embolism has occurred. Especially when certain risk factors are present, such as a long period of inactivity after surgery, travel or illness, these signs should be interpreted in good time as symptoms of pulmonary embolism. It is important to note that, depending on the severity of the event that has occurred, the signs may be perceived very strongly or only subtly.

A typical sign of pulmonary embolism is a sudden onset of shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. At the same time, severe pain in the chest area usually occurs. In severe cases, an immediate loss of consciousness may also occur.

It is important to note that, depending on the severity of the event, the signs may be perceived very strongly or only subtly. A typical sign of a pulmonary embolism is a sudden onset of shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. At the same time, severe pain in the chest area usually occurs. In severe cases, an immediate loss of consciousness may also occur.

Other symptoms

Back pain is one of the many symptoms of pulmonary embolism that can be perceived individually. Back pain is not a leading symptom of pulmonary embolism and the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism can never be made solely on the basis of the occurrence of severe back pain. Typically, pulmonary embolism causes pain in the chest, but it can also radiate to other parts of the body, such as the back.

The location of the pain depends on the location and severity of the pulmonary embolism that has occurred. In cases of severe back pain, which may be accompanied by shortness of breath and other typical symptoms of pulmonary embolism, a doctor should be consulted to diagnose the cause of the pain and initiate pulmonary embolism therapy. Coughing is a fairly common symptom of pulmonary embolism.

Coughing is a mechanism in the body that ensures that the lungs are cleaned.It is also a protective reflex so that no liquid or food gets into the lungs, for example if you swallow something. In pulmonary embolism, one coughs because the organism wants to improve the ventilation of the lungs and thus the exchange of oxygen, but this does not dissolve the blood clot that caused the pulmonary artery embolism. The cough as a symptom of pulmonary embolism is rather dry and without sputum.

If it is a bloody cough, this is more likely to indicate pulmonary embolism. Otherwise it is a rather unspecific symptom and can occur in many diseases. Pulmonary embolism may also be accompanied by shortness of breath, cyanosis (blue coloration of the lips and skin), chest pain or wheezing.

In 20 percent of patients, the so-called symptom triad of pulmonary embolism occurs: they have a cough with bloody sputum, shortness of breath (dyspnoea) and chest pain. A sudden onset of coughing is more likely to indicate a pulmonary embolism than a harmless cold, for example. However, there are also small pulmonary embolisms that can persist for weeks without the patient experiencing severe shortness of breath.

Sometimes these trigger a so-called infarct pneumonia, i.e. pneumonia in the section of the lung affected by the pulmonary embolism. In this case, coughing can also be a symptom. Fatigue is not a typical symptom of acute pulmonary embolism.

Weakness and exhaustion may occur, as well as shortness of breath and even shortness of breath under stress. Patients with pulmonary embolism are often restless or anxious. However, many patients who have had a pulmonary embolism often complain of fatigue, reduced performance and weakness.

This can be compared to an expired pneumonia: the lungs first have to recover, which can take several years. Pulmonary embolisms are not always severe. Sometimes only very small blood vessels in the lung are affected, and symptoms are not necessarily present.

However, in the case of a severe pulmonary embolism, among other symptoms, a drop in blood pressure can occur. In this case a large pulmonary artery is displaced. The body tries to compensate for this obstacle by increasing the heartbeat so that the patient can feel a racing or stumbling heart.

When the body or the heart can no longer maintain the blood pressure by pumping more, the blood pressure drops. This can go as far as a breakdown of the circulation. A pulmonary embolism can occur in relapses when small blood clots repeatedly obstruct small blood vessels in the lungs.

In this small pulmonary embolism, the typical symptoms such as shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat and coughing may be absent. The body is then often still able to dissolve small clots itself. During this healing process by the body, symptoms such as fever, dizziness or shortness of breath may occur.

These symptoms usually disappear on their own after some time once the body has successfully dissolved the blood clots. Another cause of fever in a pulmonary embolism can be pneumonia caused by the embolism, which is promoted by the poor ventilation of the lungs. If fever, cough and shortness of breath persist over a long period of time, the cause may be another lung disease and should be clarified by a physician.

Since the symptoms of a pulmonary embolism are very unspecific, embolisms can also occur without being noticed immediately. The tendency is that the smaller the embolism, the less obvious the symptoms. When speaking of a pulmonary embolism without symptoms, a distinction must be made between two cases: Pulmonary embolism, which appears supposedly without symptoms, and embolism, which actually causes no symptoms.

No symptoms are usually present only when the blood clots causing the pulmonary embolism are particularly small. They get stuck in the smallest vessels of the lung and thus block only a minimal part of the entire vascular system. Thus, the thrombus (= clot) has hardly any influence on lung function.

In addition, the body can quickly break down the clot and compensate for the functional impairment. If such small pulmonary embolisms occur in large numbers, they usually only lead to symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance after years. Lung embolisms that are only supposedly not accompanied by symptoms are usually somewhat larger. They are accompanied by unspecific complaints such as coughing, slightly increased pulse and somewhat reduced performance.Since these symptoms do not directly indicate pulmonary embolism, one could speak of pulmonary embolism without specific symptoms in such cases.