Common Questions Regarding Pulmonary Edemas

3. Symptoms of Pulmonary Edema

The symptoms of pulmonary edema vary depending on whether the fluid hits suddenly or appears over time. Patients with acute pulmonary edema have difficulty breathing that includes a feeling of suffocation. Excessive sweating, anxiety, pale skin and chest pain often accompany this, leading to a belief that they may be having a heart attack. Heart palpitations, wheezing and a cough that occurs with pink or frothy sputum also occur. Chronic pulmonary edema is less extreme in its symptoms. Patients report that they have difficulty breathing when they lay down or experience severe breathlessness at night. They may gain weight quickly from the fluid or see the swelling in their feet or legs. They are abnormally fatigued.