Risk factors

Heart failure and other heart conditions that raise pressure in the heart increase the risk of pulmonary edema. Risk factors for heart failure include:

• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
• Alcohol use
• Congenital heart disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• Heart valve disease
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea

However, some nervous system conditions and lung damage due to near drowning, drug use, smoke inhalation, viral infections and blood clots also raise your risk.

People who travel to high-altitude locations above 8,000 feet (about 2,400 meters) are more likely to develop high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). It usually affects those who do not first become acclimated to the elevation (which can take from a few days to a week or so).

Children who have existing pulmonary hypertension and structural heart defects may be more likely to get HAPE.