ARDS and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

ARDS stands for acute respiratory disease syndrome. ARDS is breathing failure that takes place in critically ill people who are suffering from an underlying illness. ARDS is not a specific disorder or disease. ARDS is a life-threatening condition that results from a severe fluid buildup in both of your lungs. This fluid buildup does not allow your lungs to work like they should. Your lungs are not able to transfer oxygen from the air into your body and carbon dioxide out of your body into the air the way they ought to. Somewhere around 190,000 people are afflicted by ARDS every year in the United States. In the past, only about 4 out of 10 people have been able to survive ARDS. Today, however, with proper care in a hospital intensive or critical care unit, about 7 out of 10 people live through ARDS. Some people have a complete recovery from ARDS. Other people who live through ARDS have ongoing damage to their lungs and other health problems. ARDS is usually caused by an underlying, critical serious illness that you already have, such as pneumonia. The vast majority of the time, ARDS takes place when you are already in the hospital. However, sometimes ARDS can develop while you are at home with a serious accident or illness to your lungs. There are several things that can lead to ARDS. Some of the causes of ARDS include:

? The inhalation of chemicals
? Severe bleeding that causes you to have to have blood transfusions
? A drug overdose
? Breathing vomit into your lungs
? A severe trauma or injury that is accompanied by shock
? Severe and widespread bacterial infection in your body
? An inflamed pancreas.

ARDS often takes place along with the failure of organ systems, such as your kidneys or liver. There are some risk factors that may increase your likelihood of having ARDS. Some of these are:

? Having a serious accident or injury
? Being treated for a serious illness
? Cigarette smoking
? The heavy use of alcohol.

There are several different signs and symptoms that you may have with ARDS. Some of these include:

? Labored, rapid breathing
? A low level of oxygen being present in your blood
? A bluish skin color
? Shortness of breath
? Failure of one or more of your organs
? Low blood pressure (hypotension).

The diagnosis of ARDS can be hard because it can be confused with other disorders and conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A diagnosis of ARDS is made when your doctor sees:

You have developed breathing problems while suffering from a severe injury, accident or infection
? Blood tests that show there is a low level of oxygen in your blood
? A chest X-ray that reveals the presence of fluid in the air sacs of both of your lungs
? Other conditions that result in breathing problems have been ruled out.

Treatment for ARDS is usually done in the critical or intensive care unit of a hospital. The primary focus in treating ARDS is to get sufficient oxygen into your blood until your lungs can heal enough to function on their own once again. In order to accomplish this, medication like muscle relaxers, pain relievers and antibiotics are used, along with extra oxygen. Are complications from ARDS and/or the underlying cause of ARDS responsible for your incapacity and disability? Are you unable to work? Complete an evaluation form now to get a free review of your case.

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ARDS and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits