Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe, life-threatening form of respiratory failure caused by widespread inflammatory injury to the lungs, in which fluid accumulates in the alveoli and impairs gas exchange, producing profound hypoxaemia. It can be precipitated by direct insults such as pneumonia and…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 15× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2642-9241 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe, life-threatening form of respiratory failure caused by widespread inflammatory injury to the lungs, in which fluid accumulates in the alveoli and impairs gas exchange, producing profound hypoxaemia. It can be precipitated by direct insults such as pneumonia and aspiration or by indirect causes including sepsis, trauma and systemic inflammation, and is characterised by the rapid onset of breathlessness, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and reduced lung compliance. ARDS frequently requires intensive care and mechanical ventilation, and despite supportive management it carries a high risk of organ failure and death. The syndrome attracted renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when severe SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged as a prominent cause of acute lung injury. Research published in this journal reflects this clinical context, including evaluation of whether the alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure difference can aid diagnosis of ARDS in pneumonia patients, and numerous studies of COVID-19 spanning narrative reviews, cytokine profiling in hospitalised patients, candidate therapies, and post-infectious complications. Additional work considers profiles of patients dying in respiratory-medicine settings and cardiorespiratory monitoring. Together these studies illustrate ongoing interest in the diagnosis, pathophysiology, inflammatory mechanisms and management of acute respiratory failure, particularly in the setting of severe viral and bacterial pneumonia.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 15 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Respiratory Diseases (ISSN 2642-9241).

Journal editorial board
Jason Akulian · United States

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.