Introduction
In some diseases, pulmonary edema (water in the lungs) occurs and can lead to severe impairment due to shortness of breath. If water retention in the lungs continues to increase, pulmonary edema can also become fatal. As a rule, the course of the underlying disease is decisive for the further course and life expectancy. Therefore, life expectancy in pulmonary edema cannot be discussed without considering the cause or the underlying disease.
What positively influences life expectancy?
In any case, timely treatment should be started by the doctor in order to clarify the cause. Without a known cause, pulmonary edema is difficult to treat. If the cause is known, it is advisable to acquire knowledge about the underlying disease.
Many underlying diseases can be positively influenced by sport, weight loss and a healthy diet, such as heart failure, which is a common cause of pulmonary edema. As a rule, an improvement in the underlying disease leads to an improvement in pulmonary edema and life expectancy. For support, you can also consult a nutritionist.
In both heart failure and renal insufficiency, it is also important to pay attention to the water balance. One should not drink too little and not too much so that the water does not accumulate even more in the lungs or other tissues. In addition, a constant drinking pattern and regular weighing makes it easier to adjust the medication. It is also important to have regular check-ups with your doctor, and if necessary with a specialist, in order to detect any threats in good time.
What has a negative impact on life expectancy?
Under no circumstances should you smoke if you have pulmonary oedema. Smoking reduces the oxygen supply. An acute worsening of the symptoms is possible.
Furthermore, pneumonia has a negative effect on life expectancy. Without treatment of the pulmonary edema, pneumonia usually occurs. This can be fatal.
Therefore, if pneumonia is suspected, intensive medical treatment should be carried out immediately. Hiking in the mountains should be avoided. At higher altitudes, the partial pressure of oxygen decreases, which leads to an increase in symptoms due to the poorer oxygen supply.
Acute pulmonary edema can also occur in healthy people at high altitudes. Other sporting activities that place a high strain on the lungs should also be avoided. Depending on the cause of the pulmonary edema or the underlying disease, there are many other factors that have a negative influence on the underlying disease and thus also have a negative impact on the pulmonary edema.
Particularly in the case of lung cancer and lung metastases, water retention leads to lung edema. In advanced cancer, water retention in the entire body can also be systemic, resulting in the accumulation of water in the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary edema. Life expectancy for such advanced cancer is poor.
However, there are great individual differences, as the therapies may respond and prolong life expectancy depending on the type of cancer and personal constitution. Breast cancer typically does not lead to pulmonary edema. In advanced stages, breast cancer metastasizes mainly to the lungs and is then usually incurable, whereas in early stages without metastasis there are still very good chances of recovery.
The metastases in the lung can lead to pulmonary oedema. In most cases, it is then already a very advanced stage with a severely limited life expectancy. In lung cancer, the lung is restricted and damaged in many ways.
Pulmonary edema occurs in a complex with many other consequences and symptoms. In lung cancer, too, life expectancy is strongly dependent on how the tumor growth and symptoms can be influenced by medication. In early stages, lung cancer is still curable.
However, lung cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage. On average, 10-20% of those suffering from lung cancer are still alive after 5 years. The lung is an organ in which other tumors often metastasize and cause symptoms as the disease progresses.
Unfortunately, the treatment options for metastases are very limited and the disease is no longer curable.Drugs can positively influence the progression and symptoms of metastases and prolong their life span. The extent to which life expectancy can be prolonged through therapy varies greatly from individual to individual. It also depends on what type of metastasis is involved.
Cirrhosis of the liver is a functional disorder of the liver. Among other things, protein formation is disturbed, so that there is too little protein in the blood. This causes the oncotic pressure of the blood to drop, so that the blood no longer draws as much water.
The remaining water remains in the organs, including the lungs. The degree of pulmonary edema correlates approximately with the severity of liver cirrhosis. Nevertheless, in pulmonary edema due to cirrhosis of the liver, the stage of the cirrhosis is decisive for life expectancy.
In the first stage, life expectancy is still very good. In the last stage, over 60% die within the next year. This topic might also be of interest to you: Protein deficiency edema
