Can pulmonary edema resolve on its own?
Apr 17, 2023
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Guo Xiheng
Introduction
In general, whether patients with pulmonary edema can recover spontaneously depends on individual circumstances and cannot be generalized. When people from lowland areas travel to high altitudes and develop altitude sickness, they may experience acute pulmonary edema. In such cases, transferring the patient from the high-altitude area back to a lowland region usually helps alleviate the atmospheric hypoxia.
In general, whether pulmonary edema can resolve spontaneously depends on individual circumstances and cannot be generalized. The specific analysis is as follows:
1. Possible
When people from lowland areas travel to high altitudes and develop altitude sickness, they may experience acute pulmonary edema. In such cases, transferring the patient from the high-altitude area back to a lowland region usually improves the hypoxic environment, leading to significant improvement or even spontaneous resolution of pulmonary edema symptoms.
2. Not possible
If pulmonary edema is severe and the patient experiences persistent coughing, sputum production, and intermittent shortness of breath, it may be caused by underlying conditions such as mitral valve stenosis, hypertension, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, or cardiomyopathy. In these cases, spontaneous recovery is unlikely, and timely treatment of the primary disease is necessary.
Note: Patients with pulmonary edema should maintain a light diet, low in salt and fat, and may benefit from consuming foods that help reduce edema, such as coix seed (yi yi ren) and winter melon.
