Particularly when swimming vast distances, the freezing temperatures can cause a potentially lethal condition called fluid on the lungs.
A buildup of fluid in the heart muscle may be a possibly deadly condition that can affect fit and healthy open-water swimmers and cause them to "drown from the inside."
Swimming In Open Water Causes Pulmonary Edema
An illness of the lungs known as swim-induced pulmonary edema has been linked to open water swimming in a recent study (SIPE).
According to Interesting Engineering, the case study claims that SIPE can have an impact on the heart and lungs.
It is important to note that SIPE, also known as Immersion Pulmonary Edema, is characterized by a buildup of fluid in the lungs (IPE).
Open-water swimmers, scuba divers, snorkelers, military swimmers, and triathletes are all known to suffer from the illness.
It is believed that the condition is brought on by increased pressure on the body's blood vessels brought on by effort, submersion, and cold, The Guardian notes.
This can lead to respiratory issues, low blood oxygen levels, low blood pressure, coughing up foamy or blood-tinged spit, and, in severe circumstances, death.
Additionally, dyspnea (shortness of breath), hypoxemia (low blood oxygen), hemoptysis (coughing up foamy sputum), severe exhaustion, signs of respiratory distress, and a feeling of "wet" lungs are its symptoms.
In this condition, blood is diverted from the periphery to the center as the body works to stay afloat, and this increases thoracic volume and raises pressure in the pulmonary vasculature.
Other risk factors include exposure to cold water, excessive hydration, negative inhaling pressure, diabetes, hypertension, high levels of physical activity, and underlying heart pathology.
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Possible Prevention And Treatment Are Being Looked Into
IPE is sometimes underdiagnosed as a result of lengthy resuscitation efforts and postmortem symptoms that are similar to those of drowning.
Additionally, there are currently no methods to predict vulnerability due to a dearth of information and a poor knowledge of pathophysiology.
However, Duke University researchers recently finished phase two of a clinical study that led to lower pulmonary vascular pressures without having any negative impacts on exercise hemodynamics.
Interesting Engineering writes that there are currently no standardized medical criteria addressing the identification and treatment of IPE, according to Dr. James Oldman of the Royal United Hospitals Bath.
Although doctors recommend slower swimming, staying out of cold water, and wearing tight-fitting wetsuits, there is not much solid scientific data to support these recommendations in the literature.
In conclusion, keeping up with advances can be vital as researchers try to traverse the tricky path of IPE diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
It is important to note that the first documented evidence of IPE involving myocardial edema was published in 2022, while IPE case reports had been reported since the 1980s.
A "fit and healthy female in her fifties" who had no prior significant medical history began to hyperventilate while swimming, according to the case study.
Thankfully, the first responders identified IPE symptoms, which were later corroborated by a chest X-ray that showed fluid in her lungs.
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