Healthytalk8 Edema is a swelling that occurs when too much fluid is trapped in the tissues of the body or an organ.
Most commonly occur in the legs and arms, however, it also can affect other body parts like muscle, bowel, lungs, eyes, and brain.
It is also called oedema, fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy, and swelling.
This can be seen, even in your eyes, and fingers, in these symptoms tightness, swelling and pain are commonly seen.
A person with edema may also be seen these signs include:
- Swollen, and shiny skin
- weight gain or loss
- look like a dimple or puffiness
- pain and stiff joints
Other symptoms may depend on the underlying cause or condition.
However, there are many reasons for edema, and some conditions also lead to this (where body fluid balance disturb) including:
- Low albumin (a protein made by the liver)
- allergic reaction
- heart failure
- protein deficiency
- lymphedema (is the buildup of fluid in soft body tissue when the lymph system is damaged or blocked)
- deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- infection
- certain medicines intake
- head trauma
- lack of exercise
- premenstrual water retention
- diabetes
- kidney damage
- pregnancy (due to hormonal changes)
Check Out – Edema: What Is This Term? Reasons, And Symptoms
Is edema dangerous?
Contents
In most cases, it saw that edema is not a serious illness, but if its symptoms are taken lightly then it may contribute to other illnesses.
This condition becomes more concerning if it starts suddenly, or if pain or shortness of breath is present (8)
Talk to your healthcare, if your symptoms are getting worse day by day or any discomfort (5).
In addition, It most commonly occurs in pregnant women and adults who are 65 years or older.
Types
There are many types of it, and each one can indicate a further range of health conditions.
Edema types on the basis of location include:
Generalized edema: This means – edema that saw in the entire body.
Localize: If it is seen in specific areas like the abdomen, legs, foot, lungs, etc then is called localized edema.
Intracellular edema: When the fluid is accumulated inside the cells, then is called intracellular edema.
Some conditions that may lead to this edema include:
- Malnutrition
- inflammation of tissues
- poor metabolism
Extracellular edema: When the fluid is accumulated outside the cells is called extracellular edema.
This extracellular can happen by two main causes include:
- Abnormal leakage of fluid from capillary to interstitial space (space between blood vessels and cells)
- The obstacle of the lymphatic vessels prevents fluid return from interstitium to blood.
There are some conditions in which extracellular edema can be seen including:
- Heart failure
- renal disease
- decreased amount of plasma protein
- lymphatic obstruction
- increase endothelial permeability
Diagnose
Pitting edema also known as Cutaneous edema, where pressure by a finger is applied to an affected area for 5 to 15 sec.
After the release of pressure, a dimple will appear on your skin, which means there is fluid up in your tissues.
It is the more common type, resulting from water retention.
Doctors can check your swelling, especially on parts of your body where your skin has a shiny or stretched appearance.
Non-pitting edema is observed when the indentation does not persist.
If the doctor is applying pressure on the part and there is depression, then it will be called pitting edema.
If there is no depression formed then we called them non-pitting.
Who is more at risk of edema?
There are certain people who are more at risk of it including:
- Poor diet (too much salt)
- lack of nutrition in the body can also lead to hypoalbuminemia (where the body loses too much albumin in your urine or stool)
- People who already have other diseases or illness
- obesity
- pregnant lady (6)
- Individuals who sit or stand for a long time, especially women during menstruation or pregnancy.
- surgery involves the removal of lymph nodes and can even lead to edema
Treatment
Treatment also depends on what causes edema. and if a medical condition is a cause, the doctor will treat the condition first.
In many cases, treating secondary causes of disease, like heart, kidney, and allergy can also reduce this condition (4).
If allergy is the reason for edema, then prescribed allergy medication can contribute to treating swelling from allergies.
Leg edema is most allied with congestive heart failure or liver disease which is treated with a water pill (help get rid of salt and water into the body)
The doctor may also drain the fluid with specific surgical devices to reduce swelling.
Blood clot and DVT are treated with blood thinners (where they breakdown the clot and get drainage back to normal)
NOTE: Specific socks, sleeves, or stockings are suggested, which put pressure on your body to prevent fluid from accumulating.
How can Prevent it?
People can easily prevent it with certain lifestyle changes, unlike there are no other health issues.
Daily tasks and some lifestyle changes can reduce the chance of swelling, even small exercises like wiggling toes.
Exercises include – jogging, walking, running, doing a daily home task, etc.
Patients who have had deep venous thrombosis (DVT) should wear compression stockings to prevent post-thrombotic syndrome (9)
Avoid excess salt in your diet, can even lead to heart disease, High blood pressure, and stroke.
Down Line
It happens when your small blood vessels leak fluid into nearby tissues, where extra fluid builds up, which makes the tissue swell.
The onset may be sudden but usually starts slowly, but it can also become a sign of a serious condition.
Patients with edema with no health issues can reduce the chance of swelling, even with small exercises like wiggling toes.
