A classic cause of lower limb edema in women is wearing high-heeled shoes. To cope with it is quite easy: just abandon the inconvenient household item. But puffiness is not always explained so simply, but is eliminated by such a hassle-free method. In some cases, the syndrome indicates serious pathologies, including heart and kidney diseases.
Causes and consequences: relevance of the issue
Not knowing the causes of edema of the lower extremities, there is no way to select a treatment for this condition. However, this is also true with a tendency to swelling of the hands. In most cases, the phenomenon indicates impaired functionality of the heart, vascular system or kidneys. Cases are known when edema was the first symptom of a malignant neoplasm that attracted the attention of a patient. Do not neglect the opportunity to see a doctor: puffiness is a significant reason for a full examination. Sometimes an allergic reaction manifests itself as edema, which means that it is necessary to proceed to the identification of an allergen in a timely manner. Having determined exactly what became the provocateur of the phenomenon, you can choose a successful therapeutic course.
Types and forms: unhealthy heart
Quite often it is revealed that heart disease is the cause of edema of the limbs. Treatment in this case should be started immediately. The probability of failure of the functioning of the main muscle of our body is high. At the same time, the load on the cardiac system as a whole increases, blood flow slows down, fluids accumulate in different tissues and organs of the body. This manifests itself with swollen arms and legs.
Edema on the background of heart disease is first seen in the legs. Gradually, they spread to the stomach in the lower half. If the cause of swelling of the legs (limbs in general) is heart disease, while the phenomenon is observed in a bedridden patient, gradually the symptoms are complicated by pain in the lumbar region, sacrum. Legs and hands swell, skin turns pale, breathing is disturbed, shortness of breath is disturbing. A typical clinical picture of heart failure is gradually forming.
Kidneys and blood vessels
The cause of urgent treatment requiring edema of the lower extremities (legs), upper (arms) is a violation of the functioning of the kidneys. In this case, the primary area of edema is the face, eyes, and gradually the symptoms spread further through the body. Puffiness builds up quickly enough, for some it takes several days, for others the whole body swells in just one night. The manifestations characteristic of heart failure are not observed, but the head hurts, the patient feels weak. Can whine or shoot in the lumbar region.
Another possible cause of edema of the lower extremities (legs) is varicose veins. In this case, lymphatic edema is formed . At first it is not easy to notice them, the legs swell and hurt only slightly and only in the evening. The syndrome is more pronounced if you spend a long time standing. In addition to legs, hands may swell, swell and hurt. If you take a good rest, the edema subsides, returning after the next load. Manifestations of varicose veins become more noticeable as the pathological condition progresses. Additionally, pigmentation of the skin, joint pain and the appearance of ulcerated hard-healing areas indicate this cause of edema.
Varicose disease as the cause of edema of the lower extremities (legs) attracts special attention of doctors due to its prevalence. It was found that swelling of the hands and feet is provoked by a slowdown in the speed of blood flow in the vessels. This leads to increased pressure on the venous walls, increased capillary load and the penetration of blood into the intercellular space.
Factors and consequences: what else is possible?
A possible cause of edema of the upper limbs, and lower ones, is an allergic reaction. Most often, swelling of the articular region is observed, hands, lower leg suffer. Often this accompanies the recovery period after an insect bite. There are many known cases of an allergic reaction when puffiness first appeared on the face, then passed on to the limbs. Additional symptoms indicate an allergy: sore throat, dry in the mouth.
A possible cause of lower extremity edema in men and women is poor, unbalanced nutrition. The accumulation of fluid in organic tissues is observed against the background of excessive drinking. If it is not possible to identify heart, kidney and vascular diseases, you should try to reconsider the diet. If such a measure did not cause an improvement, a detailed study is necessary to determine the premises of the phenomenon.
But there is no disease!
A frequent cause of edema of the lower extremities (legs) in men and women is the reaction of the body to very hot weather. The phenomenon is explained by the features of the functioning of the human body: to prevent general overheating, vascular pressure decreases. This leads to a side effect - excess fluid is not removed from the body on time, but accumulates in the tissues.
Well-known to many women, the cause of edema of the extremities (arms, legs) that does not require treatment is pregnancy. During the period of gestation, the hormonal background changes, which leads to a disruption in the work of the respiratory system, and breathing heaviness. In a woman expecting a baby, the vessels expand, the joints hurt, urination becomes more frequent. Among other phenomena characteristic of the period of expectation of the baby - swelling of the hands, feet, face.
Terms and manifestations
Doctors know a huge number of causes of edema of the lower extremities. When contacting a doctor, the patient will most likely be referred to a number of tests and studies designed to confirm or exclude glomerulonephritis, kidney stones, pyelonephritis, cardiomyopathy, heart disease, ischemia, hypothyroidism, elephantiasis, varicose veins, hepatitis, cirrhosis. The possibility of a mixed effect of several reasons at once cannot be ruled out. In this case, you have to choose a combined therapeutic course, which, quite possibly, will drag on for a long time.
Any person, even without a medical education, must understand that there are many causes of edema of the lower extremities, and swelling itself is only a symptom indicating the need for treatment. A medical history and examination of the patient often allow the doctor to correctly make a preliminary diagnosis from the first dose, which is further confirmed by additional studies. Consider that with problems with the heart and urinary system, symmetrical edema is observed. With heart diseases, they often increase in the evening, and with violations in the urinary system are most pronounced in the morning.
With hormonal disruptions, symmetrical edema of the extremities appears. The reason in the predominant percentage of cases is hypothyroidism. It is indicated by dense skin and the constancy of puffiness. But with vascular pathologies, the phenomenon is asymmetric. Vascular problems are indicated by a bluish tint of the skin. The swollen area is cold to the touch. With the symmetry of edema and the consistency of the phenomenon, we can talk about ascites. This cause of edema of the extremities provokes a constant syndrome. The phenomenon is characterized by leaching of protein structures from the body.
Is there a swelling?
It is possible to assume the cause of edema of the limb even at home. This is due to the nuances of different types and forms of swelling. Of course, cardiac edema deserves special attention - they occur frequently, and can indicate both a serious condition and a danger to life. Suspecting cardiac edema, it is necessary to examine the lower leg, push a finger on it in front under the bone, stay in this position for a few seconds. By removing your finger, you can see a hole, quite slowly restoring its previous shape. With this phenomenon, you can safely talk about the presence of puffiness, which means you should consult a doctor. Another phenomenon that allows one to suspect a tendency to edema is weight gain. It is explained by the accumulation of fluid in the tissues.
If the cause of edema of the extremities is heart disease, this condition develops slowly. The disease progresses weeks and months. In bedridden patients, the sacrum and lower back first swell; in others, the legs are the first to suffer. With pressure, a pit remains on the edema, slowly restoring its former shape when the load is removed. Cardiac edema is quite dense. An additional symptom is an enlarged liver. In severe forms of the disease, ascites is diagnosed. The patient is characterized by poor tolerance of loads, even the most insignificant. If it is possible to compensate for the condition, swelling soon disappears on its own.
Forms and Nuances
Sometimes you can suspect by studying the nature of the phenomenon that it is necessary to eliminate kidney diseases as causes of edema of the lower extremities. Treatment for older patients is required more often, but recently, more and more cases of kidney disease in middle-aged people, as well as in young people and children. It can be assumed that the cause is in the kidneys, if the swollen area is loose, the skin is paler than normal, and the swelling itself is mild. At the same time, the size of the liver remains stable. The patient changes the shade of urine and decreases the volume of secretions. In laboratory studies in urine, protein fractions, blood are detected. Often, renal edema begins to bother some time after an infectious disease.
Edema associated with an allergic reaction is observed if a person has been in contact with an allergen. The formation of edema takes seconds, minutes, sometimes a little more time. The phenomenon is pronounced. As a rule, first, swelling is noticeable on the eyelids, gradually spreading to the mucous membranes, then hands, bends of the elbows and knees. Often, urticaria is formed, certain areas of the skin itch or become covered with rashes. With a severe form of an allergic response, swelling extends to the larynx and can cause suffocation. In some cases, the condition is combined with spasm of the bronchi. You can notice it by weighting the exhale. With the allergic nature of edema, the victim needs emergency qualified assistance. Especially dangerous are cases when edema rapidly progresses and disrupts the respiratory system.
The nuances of help
Treatment of edema of the extremities involves the elimination of the cause of the phenomenon. In addition, a number of measures will have to be taken to improve overall health. It is important to eat right, consuming no more than 1.5 g of salt per day. In some cases, the doctor may recommend switching to a diet with a complete rejection of salt. If you are prone to edema, you should consume per day up to a liter of liquid, taking into account liquid soups, and also monitor how much urine is released in 24 hours. Normally, the amount of fluid received and released from the body should be approximately the same.
With a tendency to edema, diuretics are especially carefully used. Such drugs can only be used as prescribed by a doctor. Some diuretics stimulate leaching of potassium, and this negatively affects the work of the heart, leading to malfunctions of contractility and convulsions. If the patient is shown a salt-free diet and diuretics, the doctor will regularly refer the patient for blood tests to assess the balance of electrolytes.
An electrolyte imbalance can be prevented by enriching the diet with foods containing a lot of potassium - rice, oatmeal, dried grapes and apricots, baked potatoes. Patients will benefit from decoctions and infusions of rose hips.
Do not count on a quick cure for edema, especially if they are associated with the work of the heart. Probably, treatment will have to go through a lifetime.
It's time to fight!
In a small percentage of cases, puffiness indicates cancer. Although the frequency of occurrence of such an initial factor among others causing edema is relatively small, it cannot be discounted - it is timely diagnosis of the disease that gives the patient the best chance of a successful recovery. With cancer, swelling is due to a violation of the lymphatic outflow, due to which the legs become larger, swell, and fluid accumulates in the space between the cells. If you turn to the doctor in time, you can get rid of the unpleasant phenomenon - currently effective methods of eliminating edema have been developed that do not interfere with the main course of cancer treatment.
The localization of edema depends on the characteristics of the neoplasm, the level of spread of the malignant process and the specifics of its progress. In cancer, swelling is usually accompanied by tissue hypertrophy, a burning sensation, a change in the color of the skin to a paler one. The skin is cool to the touch, and the swollen area loses its sensitivity partially or completely.
The nuances of the formation
Possible swelling of the extremities with malignant neoplasms in the lungs. In this case, a noticeable general swelling, as a rule, of the legs. It is due to dysfunctions of the lymph nodes and the inability to remove excess fluid from diseased areas and tissues nearby. The skin is dry, the skin is peeling, the swollen area turns red.
In cancer, localized in the prostate or cervix, edema also primarily affects the legs. If the patient underwent surgery to remove the malignant area, while the event was accompanied by the removal of lymph nodes, postoperative edema is diagnosed. If a patient is being treated with hormonal, non-steroidal and steroidal drugs to inhibit inflammatory processes, it is most often the medications that cause swelling.
With atypical cells in the pancreas, the tissues swell due to fluid retention and metabolic imbalance involving water and electrolytes. Similar causes explain edema in malignant diseases of the liver and other organs.
Risks above: why?
The likelihood of accompanying cancer with puffiness is greater if a person has a sedentary lifestyle, sedentary or lying. In this case, stagnation in the circulatory system is observed, the outflow of blood is disturbed. In addition, edema can be triggered by a worsening of the condition if the patient with oncology has varicose veins. In some cases, provocateurs are disorders of the heart, blood vessels, liver, and kidneys.
There is a higher likelihood of edema with improper selection and improper use of medications. In some cases, swelling is explained by malabsorption against the background of general malnutrition due to a malignant tumor.
Protein edema of the lower extremities can be observed if the patient does not receive the required amount of protein with food. To alleviate the condition, it is wise to reconsider the diet or use alternative ways of supplying protein to the body.
We’ll check everything!
To get rid of edema that appeared on the background of cancer, a number of studies should be done. Based on their results, the doctor will choose a suitable course of correction of the condition. MRI and CT are prescribed to clarify the structure of the tumor, blood is analyzed for electrolytes and oncological markers, tissue samples are taken for biopsy, and X-rays of the disturbing areas are taken. Women are shown mammography. Especially important are the results of this study for elderly patients, since there is a high risk of latent malignant processes.
The therapeutic course is chosen by the doctor based on the nuances of the condition. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, especially if a person is taking an anti-cancer course. All medicines should be selected in such a way as to avoid mutual influence on each other - and this is only possible for an experienced specialist.