Respiratory disease unknown to many

John Grim was involved in a car accident in 1994, leaving him with no visible injuries.

When he saw the car that hit him his body tensed up and the seat belt pushed his organs up into the left area of his chest.

He experienced pain in his side and went to the hospital in Rochester, Minn. Doctors noticed that his pancreas was bruised and they performed the necessary surgery.

After more pain, the doctors performed a second surgery and noticed that the tissue they had placed on Grim's pancreas had died and caused Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or ARDS.

ARDS is a condition that prevents regular breathing. The lungs become incapable of removing the carbon dioxide from the body. This ailment usually occurs with other conditions such as pneumonia or severe internal infection or trauma.

Grim fell into a coma and was placed on a ventilator until he woke up a month later. Grim had trouble remembering and experienced constant chest pain. He had trouble breathing and began making frequent trips to the hospital.

"For close to three years I managed alone as every doctor I had gone to told me told me I was fine," Grim said. "Until my sister, Sue Peterson, saw me in 1996 I thought I was doing fine. A few weeks later I was admitted to the hospital in a life threatening condition and I had over 40 blood clots in my lungs."

Doctors found that carbon dioxide was poisoning Grim. He had to sleep with a mask that forced oxygen into his lungs.

The Grim's pain is now under control and he does not experience memory problems any more, but he will have to utilize the oxygen mask for the rest of his life.

The illness has taken an emotional toll on Grim as well.

"When one goes through a crisis like this and one day realizes that life will never be the same it can have devastating effects on the psyche," Peterson said. "He had a terrific career going and he loved his work. The things he loved to do, like fishing, are much more difficult to do now."

Doctors do not fully understand the condition yet, but know that it is usually caused from either inhalation of toxic fumes or from a severe bruise to the lungs. The public also knows little about the disease.

"As a family, we had never heard of ARDS before it struck John," Peterson said. "There was virtually no information that could be understood by the lay person regarding ARDS."

ARDS can occur within days or even hours after being struck with pneumonia or being in a car accident, said Dr. Roy Brower of John Hopkins University.

"An infection or chemicals get into the bloodstream and into the lungs where it causes inflammation," Brower said.

Brower is pioneering a new treatment that gives patients air in smaller doses so the lungs will heal faster.

"It takes a lot of pressure to get the breaths in," Bower said. "It's kind of rough and makes it harder for the lungs to heal. The smaller breath approach provides gentler and easier breathing," Brower said.

Approximately 150,000 Americans suffer from ARDS each year. The mortality rate is about 40 percent.

The severity of the case depends on factors such as age and the physical condition of the person before the affliction, according to the ARDS Support Center.