Edema Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Risk Factors | Diseases List A-Z

What is Edema?

Edema is swelling that occurs due to too much fluid being trapped in body tissues.

This condition can occur anywhere on the body, but most often appears in the legs and feet.

This health disorder can occur due to many factors. Starting from heart failure, kidney disease, venous insufficiency, or liver cirrhosis, as well as special conditions such as pregnancy and drug consumption.

Edema can actually subside on its own when sufferers reduce their salt intake and improve their diet.

However, in some conditions, edema needs to be treated by a doctor. Especially if the edema that appears is a sign of a serious illness.

Symptoms of Edema

The main symptom of this condition is swelling of the body.

Swelling occurs when a body part enlarges due to fluid buildup in the body’s tissues.

This condition can occur anywhere on the body but often affects areas of the feet such as the ankles, legs, and soles of the feet.

Other symptoms of edema include:

• The body area is larger than the previous day.
• The skin over the swollen area appears stretched and shiny.
• Difficulty walking if the legs, ankles, or feet are swollen.
• Cough and difficulty breathing.
• Feeling full or tight in the swollen body part.
• Mild pain or soreness in the area of ​​edema.

Causes of Edema

Edema occurs when small blood vessels in the body (capillaries) leak fluid. The fluid then accumulates in nearby tissues, which causes leakage and causes swelling.

The following are causes of edema that you need to be aware of:

• Sitting or remaining in one position for too long.
• Eating too much salty or high-salt foods.
• Experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
• Is pregnant.

Apart from the causes above, edema can also appear due to side effects of drugs, such as:

• High blood pressure medication.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Steroid drugs.
• Estrogen.
• Certain diabetes medications such as thiazolidinediones.
• Medications commonly used to treat nerve pain.

Edema or swelling in the feet can be treated by taking medication.

Diseases That Can Trigger Edema

Sometimes, edema can also appear as a symptom of a serious illness, such as:

1. Congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure causes one or both of the lower chambers of the heart to stop pumping blood properly.

As a result, blood can pool in the legs, ankles, and feet, causing swelling.

2. Liver damage due to cirrhosis

Cirrhosis or liver damage is a condition where severe scar tissue forms in the liver. This causes the liver to not function normally.

Cirrhosis of the liver can cause fluid to build up in the abdomen and legs. The buildup of abdominal fluid is known as ascites.

3. Kidney disease

Kidney disease can cause fluid and salt to build up in the blood. Edema associated with kidney disease typically occurs in the legs, abdomen, and around the eyes.

4. Nephrotic syndrome 

Damage to the small blood vessels that filter blood in the kidneys can cause nephrotic syndrome.

In nephrotic syndrome, decreased protein levels in the blood can cause edema.

5. Weakness or damage to blood vessels in the legs

Also known as chronic venous insufficiency, this condition can damage the one-way valves in your legs, which are vital for keeping blood flowing in one direction in your legs.

This damage may cause blood to pool in the leg veins and cause swelling.

6. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Sudden swelling in one leg accompanied by pain in the calf muscles can be caused by a blood clot in one of the leg veins.

7. Severe long-term protein deficiency

Extreme protein deficiency in the diet over time can lead to edema. If someone experiences this condition, medical attention is needed immediately.

Edema Risk Factors

There are several factors that can increase a person’s risk of experiencing edema, including:

• Is pregnant.
• Taking certain medications.
• Have a long-term illness, such as congestive heart failure, liver disease, or kidney disease.
• Undergoing surgery involving the lymph nodes.

Edema Diagnosis

To diagnose edema, a healthcare provider will usually perform a number of examinations, such as:

• Physical examination, especially of the body parts experiencing edema.
• Interview to ask whether or not there is a history of edema in the family.
• Additional examinations such as blood tests, ultrasound, and vein examinations.

Edema Treatment

Once your doctor has identified the cause of your edema, you may be given appropriate care and treatment advice, such as:

1. Home care

Here are some things you can do at home to relieve edema:

• Eat a variety of healthy foods. Avoid packaged and processed foods that contain a lot of salt.
• Exercise. The goal is to prevent swelling that occurs due to physical inactivity.
• Avoid using tobacco and drinking alcohol.
• Wearing support socks.
• Get acupuncture or massage treatment.

2. Medical care

Meanwhile, there are also some medical suggestions that you can follow in certain conditions or situations, namely:

• Heart failure. Concurrent diuretic treatment with other drugs that improve heart function.
• Cirrhosis. Stop drinking alcohol, reduce salt, and take diuretics to improve symptoms.
• Lymphedema. Diuretic treatment or wearing compression.

Seek medical care immediately if edema worsens suddenly, or becomes painful. You should also see a doctor if you are pregnant and experience sudden swelling in your legs.

Doctors need to check blood pressure, urine tests, and blood tests to monitor for preeclampsia.

This condition causes high blood pressure and possible protein in the urine. Preeclampsia can also cause serious complications if not treated promptly.

Edema Prevention

It may be difficult to prevent this condition if the cause is a certain health condition, such as heart failure, liver, or kidney disease.

However, there are several things you can do to prevent the risk of edema, including:

1. Limit salt intake

Prevention of edema can be done by limiting salt intake. For example, by not consuming packaged and processed foods.

Doctors usually advise you to do this, because salt can increase fluid retention and worsen edema.

2. Be more active

Being more active is one way to prevent edema. You can do sports with the intensity and type that are adjusted to your body condition.

Muscle movement will help pump excess fluid back to the heart, thereby preventing the risk of edema.

3. Make lifestyle changes

Next, you are advised to make lifestyle changes. For example, by not smoking, limiting alcohol and caffeine, and consuming healthy foods rich in nutrients.

A healthier lifestyle will help you avoid the risk of blood vessel disorders, so edema can be prevented.

Edema Complications

Edema conditions that do not receive proper treatment can cause complications in the form of:

• Swelling that is painful and can get worse over time.
• Stiff and difficult to walk.
• The skin is inflamed and feels itchy.
• Infection in the swollen area.
• There is scar tissue between the layers of skin tissue
• Poor blood circulation.
• Loss of elasticity in the arteries, veins, and joints.
• Ulceration of the skin or damage to the skin due to poor blood circulation in the veins of the legs.

When to See a Doctor?

Mild edema can actually go away on its own. However, that doesn’t mean you can just ignore it.

Visit a doctor immediately if you experience edema accompanied by the following conditions:

• Pain or discoloration of the skin in the swollen area.
• Open sores in swollen areas.
• Hard to breathe.
• Swelling in only one leg.
• Difficulty walking or moving.