It is important to see your doctor if you have edema, especially if you are pregnant. If it is not treated, your skin may keep stretching. This can lead to other health problems. If you have edema and you start to have trouble breathing, call your doctor right away.
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Abnormal Uterine Bleeding. High Blood Pressure. Home Diseases and Conditions Edema. This condition usually occurs in your feet, legs, or ankles.
But it can also occur in your hands, your face , or any other part of the body. Treatment varies depending on the cause. But rapid development of edema can indicate a serious condition called preeclampsia , which requires urgent medical attention. Temporary edema can often be improved by reducing your salt intake and keeping your legs up when sitting. The latter may be a sign of pulmonary edema , a serious medical condition in which the lung cavities fill with fluid.
This is a condition that causes high blood pressure and possibly protein in your urine. It can lead to serious complications if it goes untreated. Edema results in fluid build-up under the skin and ultimately visible swelling. If you have edema, you may notice that the affected area becomes puffy , and the skin appears stretched and shiny.
If the underlying cause of edema is also left untreated these can produce their own, more serious, complications. While illnesses are the primary cause of edema, there are other factors that can increase your risk of developing edema.
A poor diet, especially one containing too much salt , can cause mild edema. When combined with other conditions, a poor diet can also make edema worse. Malnutrition with a low-protein intake can also lead to hypoalbuminemia, which in turn can lead to edema. The fluid is predominantly water, but protein and cell-rich fluid can accumulate if there is infection or lymphatic obstruction History of present illness should include location and duration of edema and presence and degree of pain or discomfort.
Female patients should be asked whether they are pregnant and whether edema seems related to menstrual periods. Having patients with chronic edema keep a log of weight gain or loss is valuable. Review of systems should include symptoms of causative disorders, including dyspnea during exertion, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea heart failure ; alcohol or hepatotoxin exposure, jaundice, and easy bruising a liver disorder ; malaise and anorexia cancer or a liver or kidney disorder ; and immobilization, extremity injury, or recent surgery DVT.
Past medical history should include any disorders known to cause edema, including heart, liver, and kidney disorders and cancer including any related surgery or radiation therapy. The history should also include predisposing conditions for these causes, including streptococcal infection, recent viral infection eg, hepatitis , chronic alcohol abuse, and hypercoagulable disorders. Drug history should include specific questions about drugs known to cause edema see table Some Causes of Edema Some Causes of Edema Edema is swelling of soft tissues due to increased interstitial fluid.
Patients are asked about the amount of sodium used in cooking and at the table. The area of edema is identified and examined for extent, warmth, erythema, and tenderness; symmetry or lack of it is noted. In the general examination, the skin is inspected for jaundice, bruising, and spider angiomas suggesting a liver disorder. Lungs are examined for dullness to percussion, reduced or exaggerated breath sounds, crackles, rhonchi, and a pleural friction rub.
The heart is palpated for thrills, thrust, parasternal lift, and asynchronous abnormal systolic bulge. Auscultation for loud pulmonic component of 2nd heart sound P2 , 3rd S3 or 4th S4 heart sounds, murmurs, and pericardial rub or knock is done; all suggest cardiac origin. The abdomen is inspected, palpated, and percussed for ascites, hepatomegaly, and splenomegaly to check for a liver disorder or heart failure.
The kidneys are palpated, and the bladder is percussed. An abnormal abdominal mass, if present, should be palpated. Potential acute life threats, which typically manifest with sudden onset of focal edema, must be identified. Acute DVT may lead to pulmonary embolism Pulmonary Embolism PE Pulmonary embolism PE is the occlusion of pulmonary arteries by thrombi that originate elsewhere, typically in the large veins of the legs or pelvis. Risk factors for pulmonary embolism are Acute angioedema sometimes progresses to involve the airway, with serious consequences.
Dyspnea may occur with edema due to heart failure, DVT if PE has occurred, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or angioedema that involves the airways. Generalized, slowly developing edema suggests a chronic heart, kidney, or liver disorder.
Although these disorders can also be life threatening, complications tend to take much longer to develop. These factors and other clinical features help suggest the cause see table Some Causes of Edema Some Causes of Edema Edema is swelling of soft tissues due to increased interstitial fluid.
For most patients with generalized edema, testing should include complete blood count CBC , serum electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen BUN , creatinine, liver tests Laboratory Tests of the Liver and Gallbladder Laboratory tests are generally effective for the following: Detecting hepatic dysfunction Assessing the severity of liver injury Monitoring the course of liver diseases and the response to treatment Other tests should be done based on the suspected cause see table Some Causes of Edema Some Causes of Edema Edema is swelling of soft tissues due to increased interstitial fluid.
Several diseases and conditions may cause edema, including:. If you are pregnant, your body retains more sodium and water than usual due to the fluid needed by the fetus and placenta.
This can increase your risk of developing edema. A chronic illness — such as congestive heart failure or liver or kidney disease — can increase your risk of edema. Also, surgery can sometimes obstruct a lymph node, leading to swelling in an arm or leg, usually on just one side. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues.
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