Swelling occurs whenever small blood vessels become leaky, releasing fluid into nearby tissue. Liquid accumulates, causing the tissues to swell and become several times larger. Sometimes this type of swelling is caused by a specific strain of E. coli, which is why doctors call it "intestinal edema" or "intestinal edema." The mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines becomes swollen, inflamed and enlarged.
Swelling is a normal response of the body to inflammation or injury. For example, a sprained ankle, a bee sting or a skin infection will always be accompanied by swelling at the epicenter of the affected area. In some cases, for example, when a wound becomes infected, such a reaction can be useful. Increasing the fluid flow from the blood vessels allows for the transport of more infection-fighting white blood cells, which penetrate the area of infection and have a therapeutic effect.
Hunger edema is a medical term that is synonymous with nutritional dystrophy or protein-free edema. This reaction is the body's response to infection, damage, inflammation or chronic protein deficiency, malnutrition, or a systematically poor diet. Other, less common causes of swelling include medications, infections, pregnancy, and other conditions.
Swelling can also be a reaction to medical factors or metabolic problems normally present in the blood. For example, with protein deficiency or the complete absence of proteins (protein-free edema), swelling is a protective reaction.
1. Low albumin level (hypoalbuminemia).
Albumin and other proteins in the blood play the role of a kind of “sponge” that retains fluid in the blood vessels. Low albumin levels can contribute to edema, but it is not usually the only cause of this condition.
Swelling accompanies most allergic reactions. In response to allergic stimuli, the body allows fluid from the blood vessels to flow to the affected area.
If the drainage of fluid from any part of the body is blocked, the fluid will collect somewhere else. For example, a blood clot in the deep veins causes swelling in the legs.
A tumor that blocks lymph drainage or blood flow will cause swelling in the affected area.
4. Critical illnesses and conditions.
These include burns and severe infections affecting the entire body. With extensive lesions, fluid from the blood vessels seeps into all affected tissues, thus the entire body becomes swollen and edematous.
5. Heart disease, such as congestive heart failure.
When the heart weakens and pumps blood less efficiently, fluid can gradually accumulate, causing swelling in the legs. If fluid accumulation occurs quickly, pulmonary edema occurs. If there is right-sided heart failure, swelling occurs in the abdominal cavity.
For example, cirrhosis. Leads to a decrease in the level of albumin and other blood proteins.
Renal dysfunction.
Due to the increase in blood volume during pregnancy and pressure from the growing uterus, mild swelling of the legs is normal during this period. However, thrombosis that occurs during pregnancy contributes to serious swelling.
9. Head injury and brain swelling.
Other causes of cerebral edema are hyponatremia, hydrocephalus, loss of consciousness, and coma.
10. Insufficiency of the lymphatic system.
The body's lymphatic system helps remove excess fluid from tissues. If this system is damaged—for example, due to cancer surgery—the lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels that drain the tissue may not perform their function.
Swelling can be a side effect of certain medications, including:
The main symptoms of edema are:
Treatment for swelling depends on the cause of its occurrence.
Allergic reactions that cause swelling are treated with antihistamines and corticosteroids. Swelling resulting from blocked veins is treated by removing the blood clot or tumor. The clot is treated with blood thinners and the clot is broken up. The tumor is reduced with chemotherapy and removed.
Edema caused by congestive heart failure or impaired renal function is treated with diuretics. Mild swelling usually goes away on its own, especially with the correct position of the body - legs higher than the body in a supine position.
For fasting edema with concomitant infections, antibiotics are prescribed. The diet should be high in calories, high in fiber and vitamins, and the amount of protein should be gradually increased to normal. The average air temperature in the room where the patient is located should not be lower than 12 degrees, since in the first weeks of treatment patients with dystrophy feel cold. Meals should be fractional, high-calorie, daily calorie content - from 2500 to 3500 kcal (for 7-10 days). In the future, caloric intake can be reduced to the age norm.
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Edema is the accumulation of excess fluid in tissues. The reasons why legs swell can be very different.
Edema can be general: with diseases of the kidneys, cardiovascular system, pregnancy, excessive consumption of salt and water, with frequent use of aspirin, steroids, estrogens and vasodilators. General edema may be associated with metabolic and nutritional disorders - “hungry” edema, etc.
Severe general edema, determined by examination and palpation (a hole remains after pressure), is usually preceded by a significant accumulation of fluid in the body - from 4 to 9 liters!
Edema can also be local, that is, limited to a certain area of the body or organ: for example, with thrombophlebitis.
Severe swelling of the legs can occur with renal pathologies . Such swelling usually spreads over both lower extremities and affects mainly the back of the leg, without itching, pain and local (along the surface of the swelling) increase in temperature. It is accompanied by some swelling of the eyelids, the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, often a change in the color of urine and a decrease in its quantity.
Legs also become severely swollen after a person has had an acute respiratory infection. This symptom is a consequence of kidney disease, which arose as a complication from an infection.
With intestinal diseases, swelling of the legs may also occur. Outwardly, they are similar to “renal” ones, but are not accompanied by impaired urination, but by prolonged diarrhea.
Swelling in the legs occurs due to varicose veins. This happens gradually and is unnoticeable at first. Increased swelling in the legs is associated with a person being in an upright position and is observed in the evening. After sleep, swelling in the legs disappears and may reappear only in the afternoon. As other signs of the disease progress, swelling in the legs becomes more noticeable. As a rule, these swellings are combined with pigmentation on the skin and ulcerations. More often, swelling in the legs is not located symmetrically but, as a rule, only on one leg.
Swelling in the legs occurs as a result of the blood flow being disrupted and the hydrostatic pressure in the veins significantly increasing. Prolonged stagnation of blood causes an increase in pressure, first in large veins, and then in the smallest vessels. In capillaries, hydrostatic pressure is usually higher than in the intercellular spaces, and therefore tends to squeeze fluid out of the vessels into the tissue - swelling occurs.
Swelling in the legs may indicate the presence of other diseases. For example, severe swelling of the soft tissues of one or both extremities, which does not stop for a short period of time (from several hours to several days), is not typical for varicose veins of the saphenous veins. The cause of damage to one limb is often acute deep vein thrombosis, and two - thrombosis or acute heart failure. Deep vein thrombosis can be a complication of varicose veins.
If the legs become especially swollen after a long stay on your feet, with shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and wheezing in the lungs, this may indicate acute or chronic heart failure . Such swelling, as a rule, spreads from bottom to top and intensifies in the evening.
Edema in heart failure is characterized by some features.
The main one is a pronounced dependence on the position of the body: if a person is constantly moving, then the swelling is symmetrically located on both legs, mainly on the legs, and in bedridden patients the swelling is located in the lumbar region.
Problems with the thyroid gland can also manifest themselves as elastic swellings that do not leave pits when pressed, located in the lower parts of the legs. This disease also causes swelling of the tongue and shoulders, lethargy, drowsiness, chilliness, and a tendency to constipation.
Basically, the appearance of edema in healthy people is quite normal, doctors say. They even appear in young women who work as hairdressers or salespeople at the end of the working day. During a long stay in an upright position, the pressure in the capillaries of the legs increases, which explains the slight swelling of the lower extremities. Relaxing on the sofa with your legs elevated and using a plant-based cream-gel for tired legs will help you get rid of such troubles.
To combat swelling you will need:
Herbs, ointments or creams for feet, bath (basin), gymnastics. Possibly diuretics.
1. Remove shoes and tight clothing - tights, socks, trousers. If you are at home, do not rush to put on slippers, let your feet completely relax and breathe freely.
2. Make a foot bath with herbs. To do this, prepare a decoction of string, chamomile, juniper, mint, and birch leaves in advance. The decoction should steep for 15-20 minutes, after which it is diluted with water (to a temperature of 36-38°C) and placed in the resulting foot solution. The procedure can last 3-5 minutes, or maybe longer, it all depends on your well-being and desire. There is no need to add hot water.
3. The foot bath can be supplemented or replaced with a potato compress (this is an old folk remedy for swelling). Grate raw potatoes directly into the skins, squeeze lightly and apply to the swelling. Cover with cellophane and cotton cloth (towel, diaper, wide bandage). Hold for 15-20 minutes, after which rinse your feet with cool, clean water.
4. Lie down with your feet on the bolster so that your feet are suspended (i.e., your ankles should be directly on the bolster). If you prefer to sit, place your feet on a stool or chair. Rest for 15-20 minutes.
5. Give a gentle foot massage. Use an ointment or cream to relieve fatigue (they are sold everywhere these days). Many creams contain components that relieve pain and normalize blood circulation, as well as have a cooling and relaxing effect. Massage your feet for 5-8 minutes, then rest for at least half an hour, if desired, covering your feet with a light sheet or thin blanket.
When eliminating swelling, do not forget about the drinking regime: drink decoctions and infusions of diuretic herbs - bearberry (bear's ear), horsetail, knotweed, curly parsley. You can buy a special mixture or other (not strong) diuretics at the pharmacy.
Before using medications, try proven folk remedies first.
For example, juice from beets, carrots and fresh cucumbers in equal proportions or juices from parsley and celery. One third of a glass of this mixture is often equivalent to one diuretic tablet. Juices can be taken individually from each plant, or various combinations can be prepared.
You can mix a glass of viburnum juice, rowan berry, half a glass of lemon juice, 100 g of honey and three tablespoons of extract of different plants - phytolysin (purchase at the pharmacy). Take the mixture one tablespoon 3 times a day after meals, store the mixture in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
Don’t forget about the tried and tested remedies: bearberry leaf, lingonberry, black currant, birch, horsetail grass, juniper berries, flax seeds, leaves and fruits of rose hips and strawberries.
The fruits of garden parsley (sometimes roots) in the form of powder or infusion are taken orally for inflammation of the prostate gland, as a diuretic for dropsy, edema of cardiac and renal origin. Parsley fruit powder is taken 0.5-1.0 g 3-5 times a day before meals, washed down with warm boiled water.
If your feet are swollen, take fresh, preferably not very old, birch leaves. Chop them finely to make a glass. Pour 1 liter of boiling water over them, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Leave for half an hour. And then apply compresses to your legs with this infusion 5-6 times a day. After such procedures, swelling subsides quickly, and the legs return to normal.
For swelling, take an infusion of birch leaves. It helps with both renal and cardiac edema. But you need spring leaves, young ones, because summer ones are no longer so healthy, toxic substances can accumulate in them. Finely chop 100 g of leaves and then pour in 2 cups of warm boiled water. In order not to destroy everything useful, do not pour boiling water over the leaves - just warm water. Leave to brew for 5-6 hours, then strain and squeeze. Let the resulting infusion sit until a sediment appears. We don’t need it, so after settling, pour the infusion to get rid of sediment. Take half a glass of infusion 3 times a day before meals. Your swelling will go away.
Take hawthorn fruits, linden flowers, calendula flowers, blueberry leaves, rose hips, birch leaves, viburnum fruits, plantain leaves in equal proportions. 2 tbsp. pre-crushed collection, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water in a thermos, leave overnight. Take 1/3-1/4 cup 3-4 times a day. The course is 2-3 months. You can drink during pregnancy, but first consult your doctor.
Orthosiphon herb (kidney tea) in the form of an infusion is taken orally for swelling of any origin as a diuretic, prepare the infusion as follows: 1-2 teaspoons of the herb are infused for 2 hours in 2 tbsp. boiling water and drink 1/2 tbsp. warm infusion 3-4 times a day before meals.
Take 1 tsp. flaxseed and pour 1 liter of boiling water. Place on the fire and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Then close the dish with a lid and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. Drink the infusion hot, 0.5 tbsp. every 2 hours. In total, 6-8 receptions are needed per day. And so on for 2-3 weeks, depending on how you feel.
Watermelon for edema.
Watermelon rinds will help with swelling. To prepare the decoction, add dry crushed watermelon rind to water in a ratio of 1:10 and boil for about five minutes. Then cool the broth, strain and take half a glass 3-4 times a day.
1 tbsp. l. dill seeds, pour 300 ml of boiling water, leave in a thermos. Drink 150 ml in the morning and before bed for 3 weeks. Then take a 3-day break and repeat the treatment again.
For thrombophlebitis and swelling in the legs, grape leaves will help, take 50 g of raw material, brew it in 3 liters of water and take foot baths. If you do this regularly for 3 months, the walls of the blood vessels will be significantly strengthened, blood circulation will improve, and swelling will disappear.
For swelling of the legs, it is advisable to take lingonberry leaf extract (3 times a day, half a glass before meals). This extract also has a significant anti-inflammatory effect, which is enhanced in an alkaline environment. To create an alkaline environment in the stomach, before taking lingonberry leaves, you can drink half a glass of alkaline mineral water (for example, Borjomi) or at least a solution of baking soda (1 teaspoon per glass).
Drink half a glass of pumpkin juice per day for various types of swelling.
An infusion of Polygonum (water pepper) is drunk for swelling, 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day before meals. It is prepared like this: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of herbs into 1 glass of hot water, keep in a water bath for 15 minutes, filter. The resulting infusion is diluted with boiled water to its original volume.
1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed horsetail herb is brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, left for 2 hours, filtered. Take 2-3 tbsp. spoons 5-6 times a day. Check out the contraindications. Course – 3 weeks.
Carrot tops will help with kidney disease and swelling. The tops must be well dried and crushed. And it’s easy to use: pour a tablespoon of raw material with a glass of boiling water and leave for half an hour. You should drink the infusion half a glass 3 times a day. This is a real balm for the kidneys. The infusion will cleanse them, remove excess fluid, and also improve cardiac activity.
An infusion of dried apricots or dill will relieve swelling. Rinse dried fruits with warm water, chop, pour boiling water, leave for 6 hours in a closed enamel container. For hidden edema, take 100 g of dried fruit per 1 liter of water; for obvious edema, up to 200 g. If you want to sweeten your drink, it is better to take honey or fructose rather than sugar.
Apply and tie cabbage leaves to your feet.
It is very important to understand why swelling occurs. After all, there is a reason, which means it is necessary to eliminate it, and not deal with the consequences.
Don't forget to examine your body to find the root cause of swelling!
If your feet are swollen as a result of fatigue or wearing uncomfortable shoes, you can do the following simple exercises to relieve swelling of the feet:
1. While standing or sitting for several minutes a day, alternately press your heel to the floor and lift your toe, and vice versa (press your toe and lift your heel).
2. Walk on your toes for a minute or two.
3. With bare feet, try to pick up a pencil or small ball from the floor.
4. Spread and curl your toes.
5. Make rotational movements with your feet (from left to right and from right to left).
Use anti-swelling products in your legs after consulting your doctor:
• Heparin ointment, which improves blood circulation, dissolves microscopic blood clots, and has an anti-inflammatory effect;
• “Essaven gel” helps strengthen the walls of capillaries and veins, also helps blood circulation and eliminates microthrombi;
• “Venitan”, which contains horse chestnut extract, strengthens the walls of capillaries and veins;
• “Troxevasin” has an analgesic and cooling effect, at the same time strengthening the walls of capillaries and veins.
If the measures taken do not bring relief, and swelling becomes regular, then you should definitely consult a doctor, as this may be due to the presence of a certain disease in your body.
Today there is a lot of talk about excess weight and the health problems that it provokes, but such a serious disease as alimentary dystrophy has almost been forgotten. Many people think that it is typical for African countries or warring powers. Although in fact, both in developed countries and here, this diagnosis is not at all a rarity, given that today not only ballet dancers and models, but almost a third of the population are engaged in the struggle for a slim figure. And deliberate fasting, characteristic of patients with anorexia nervosa, unbalanced nutrition, promoted by fashionable diets, is the path to nutritional dystrophy. This diagnosis is made to patients who have a body weight deficit of 20 percent or more of normal, or a body mass index of less than 16.
As a result of a serious restructuring of all body functions, vital organs and systems suffer, and, as a result, hair begins to fall out, gums bleed, nails peel, skin dries, other signs of multivitamin deficiency appear, and women lose their periods (amenorrhea). The doctor can understand that in front of him is a patient suffering from anorexia in conditions where:
Nutritional dystrophy has several stages of development. The first is euphoric . A person feels great - his volume noticeably “goes away”, he gains a beautiful figure, he has a great mood, good performance, and the feeling of hunger does not annoy him. But he doesn’t understand that losing weight is already enough and continues to severely limit his diet. As a result, an asthenobulimic state occurs, when, against the background of not very good health, lethargy and weakness appear, the person is constantly very hungry, but still limits himself to food. Then an asthenoanorexic state sets in - it can be called critical, because the person can no longer eat, since all organs and systems are accustomed to working in “economy” mode and have shrunk. For example, menstruation in women disappears because the ovaries shrink 5 times. At this stage, it is imperative to stop the patient, otherwise he will die.
Nutritional dystrophy occurs as a result of forced (deliberate) starvation or prolonged malnutrition and is characterized by general exhaustion, disorders of all types of metabolism, degeneration of tissues and organs with disruption of their functions. This is a very serious disease. As practice shows, without qualified treatment, the life expectancy of a patient from the moment of diagnosis of “nutritional dystrophy” is no more than 3-5 years: patients die most often from cardiovascular failure or associated infection. With a diagnosis of “nutritional dystrophy,” the first thing to do is contact a specialist, who will most likely refer the patient to a hospital.
Underweight is a fairly common and serious problem for residents not only of third world countries, but also of economically prosperous countries, since the cause of dystrophy - malnutrition - can be either intentional or forced. A person deliberately refuses food, for example, because he wants to be a fashion model, an artist, or achieving certain body proportions is the goal of life for him. Daughters of overweight mothers often drive themselves to exhaustion, not wanting to become the same. They experience anorexia (refusal to eat). Dystrophy also sometimes develops in those who were overweight and lost weight. They constantly want to eat, eat a lot, but after eating they make themselves vomit so as not to gain weight.
Forced fasting is a situation when a person really wants to eat, but cannot, for example, after surgery on the esophagus or after a maxillofacial injury.
Of course, this disease occurs in socially unprotected and low-income segments of the population (children and adolescents from disadvantaged families, etc.).
For the development of the disease, not only absolute, but also relative (disproportionate to physical activity) reduction in calorie content of food, qualitative changes in the diet, especially deficiency of proteins (mainly animals), fats, lack of essential amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins (primarily fat-soluble) are important ).
With prolonged lack of nutrition, hypoproteinemia (abnormally reduced protein content in the blood), dystrophic changes in various organs and tissues occur, the function of many organs is disrupted, and polyendocrine insufficiency occurs. Dystrophic changes in the wall of the digestive tract and digestive glands are accompanied by progressive disorders of their functions and further aggravate changes in metabolism in the body.
There are 3 stages of nutritional dystrophy.
Stage I is characterized by decreased nutrition, pollakiuria (frequent urination 15-20 times a day or more, which is accompanied by pain and very strong urges), increased appetite, thirst, and a desire for increased consumption of table salt. The general condition of the patients does not suffer significantly.
In stage II, along with a clear loss of weight, the general condition of the patients worsens, muscle weakness occurs, the ability to work is lost, hypoproteinemic edema appears in the legs, and body temperature decreases moderately. Increased appetite and thirst, poly- and pollakiuria, initial dystrophic changes in various organs, and mental changes are observed.
Stage III by cachexia (a state of deep exhaustion and physical weakness of the body), complete disappearance of subcutaneous fatty tissue, muscle atrophy, severe weakness - to the point of complete inability to make independent movements, apathy, pronounced mental changes, paresthesia, polyhypovitaminosis, signs of heart and liver failure, anemia, painful constipation, often bedsores. Then severe hypothermia develops (body temperature drops in some cases to 30 ° C), hypotension, and acidosis (a condition characterized by an increased content of acids in body fluids and tissues). If emergency measures are not taken, the disease progresses until the development of a starvation coma. Without medical care for stage III nutritional dystrophy, the patient either slowly dies or dies within a day due to the body’s inability to resist an infectious disease (pneumonia, tuberculosis, intestinal infections, etc.). In addition, there is a risk of sudden death at the moment of even slight physical exertion.
The reasons for this outcome are not only that the body does not receive (or is not sufficiently absorbed) nutrients, because a person limits their consumption. They are also caused by changes that have occurred in the body - tumor, cicatricial narrowing of the esophagus, pylorus, syndromes of insufficiency of digestion and absorption.
Since underweight occurs in various diseases, including cancer, a comprehensive examination and a carefully collected anamnesis are required (a conversation describing the history of the development of the disease).
If a diagnosis of “nutritional dystrophy” is established, then it is impossible to restore body weight without harming the body on your own. Only a doctor can create a special diet that provides the necessary weight gain, but does not overload the patient’s weakened digestive system. In addition, he will adjust the patient’s eating behavior, prescribe drug therapy, and, if necessary, parenteral nutrition. Only complex treatment individually selected by a specialist (taking into account the specifics of the development of nutritional dystrophy in a particular patient and taking into account the diseases that have developed against its background) will give the necessary results. Remember, attempts at self-medication only delay the beginning of effective help and aggravate an already serious condition.
In the first days, complete physical and mental rest, a nutritious diet rich in vitamins and protein, with a gradual expansion of the diet are indicated. At the same time - intravenous administration of plasma, protein hydrolysates, vitamins.
In case of nutritional dystrophy caused by impaired patency of the upper digestive tract, first of all - elimination of the cause (tumor or scar stenosis of the esophagus, achalasia cardia) or palliative operations (gastrostomy, etc.). In parallel, symptomatic therapy is carried out: combating acidosis and cardiovascular failure. For this purpose, diuretics (for severe edema) and anabolic steroid hormones are prescribed.
In case of a hungry coma, intravenous administration of a glucose solution, blood substitutes, plasma, protein hydrolysates is required, and for convulsions - a calcium chloride solution. In this case, the patient must be warmed. To bring the patient out of a coma, hot sweet tea is recommended, then frequent fractional feeding of the patient with the most easily digestible food.
Since all functions are impaired due to malnutrition, treatment must be comprehensive. A person should be treated not only by nutritionists, but also by psychologists, psychotherapists, and physiotherapists. The patient needs physical therapy so that he is not afraid to gain weight when he starts eating properly.
The body is designed in such a way that it is able to recover. During the blockade, people starved almost completely for four months and partially for the next almost 2 years. As a result, according to various evidence, in 1942, up to 90% of Leningrad residents suffered from nutritional dystrophy. Many of those who managed to survive the siege live to be 80-90 years old.
The text uses the dissertation of Elena Nikolaevna Lapteva “Clinico-pathogenetic forms of nutritional dystrophy and the effectiveness of differentiated therapy.”
The occurrence of protein-free edema accompanies anorexia nervosa, cancer, narrowing of the esophagus, cirrhosis of the liver and other severe pathologies of the digestive system.
Edema syndrome is a kind of indicator of the conditions of internal organs. If there is swelling, then this indicates a violation of internal balance. Limiting the intake of proteins from food or their increased destruction will provoke protein-free edema, or nutritional dystrophy.
But, paradoxical as it may sound, this type of edema is widely promoted by the media in the form of asthenic models from the pages of fashion magazines. Let's take a closer look at this type of edema.
As already mentioned, protein-free edema appears as a result of insufficient intake of proteins into the body. The mechanism for the development of edema from protein deficiency lies in the imbalance of oncotic pressure. Oncotic blood pressure is the pressure that forces fluid to move to where there are more high molecular weight compounds, or proteins.
Normally, the blood contains more protein molecules than the intercellular space of body tissues. But when a person does not receive the required amount of proteins from food, the body simply has nowhere to get proteins for its own needs, like from the blood. Therefore, protein deficiency, or hypoproteinemia, soon occurs in the blood.
It is because of hypoproteinemia that fluid from the bloodstream enters tissues where there is more protein. A symptom such as hypoproteinemic edema can occur with the following diseases and pathological conditions:
Do not think that a complete cessation of nutrition can cause nutritional dystrophy. Modern society increasingly eats carbohydrates, forgetting about protein foods. This abuse of carbohydrates and neglect of proteins can also cause swelling.
The occurrence of edema during nutritional dystrophy is a manifestation of a severe stage of the disease, when not only the supply of proteins is limited. As a rule, there is a lack of other nutrients the body needs, such as fats, vitamins, micro- and macroelements. For some time, the body tries to adapt to such an extreme shortage, but soon the compensatory mechanisms are exhausted and the following symptoms of nutritional dystrophy arise:
Characteristics of nutritional edema:
If nutritional edema occurs against the background of pathology of internal organs, then the symptoms of the underlying disease will come to the fore.
In order to determine whether there is swelling, you can simply press your finger on the area of the lower leg, the back of the foot, where there will be a clear finger mark in the form of a dent. Hidden edema can be determined using intradermal injection of 0.25 ml of saline solution. If the subcutaneous vesicle resolves after 35-45 minutes, then there is no swelling. If there is swelling, the resorption of the bubble will take more than 45 minutes.
Treatment should combine an integrated approach to regimen, nutrition and drug therapy.
In the first stages, you must adhere to bed rest. You must maintain complete physical and mental rest. Over time, you need to become more active and move more, as this improves the condition of the muscular system.
A person will not be able to independently achieve weight gain and normalize all body functions with the help of nutrition. This is because the digestive system can only cope with small amounts of food. Therefore, a diet must be developed and prescribed by a doctor.
If necessary, intravenous administration of nutrients will be prescribed. Gradually, the amount of food and the content of nutrients in it will increase - this is the only way to normalize the functions of the body without harm to it.
Drug treatment includes the main points:
Treatment of symptoms should be accompanied by treatment of the underlying pathology. If the cause of nutritional dystrophy is anorexia nervosa, then treatment should be carried out by a psychiatrist. Oncological pathology is subjected to specific treatment in a hospital setting. Cirrhosis and other dysfunctions of the digestive system should be treated by a gastroenterologist or surgeon.
Physiotherapy procedures that help improve blood circulation in peripheral tissues have a beneficial effect.
When the threat to life has passed, you can use a rehabilitation method such as massage. It perfectly improves blood circulation in peripheral tissues, enhances lymphatic drainage, and strengthens the musculoskeletal system.
The gradual introduction of physical activity into treatment will only help improve protein synthesis and accelerate anabolic processes. Therefore, physical therapy is a useful point in the treatment and rehabilitation program for patients.
Edema in the legs means an increase in the volume of the lower extremities, especially pronounced with excessive fluid intake, intensifying in the evening, after prolonged standing or walking.
Edema syndrome is not an independent disease. This is just a sign of another disease, but the sign is quite formidable. From a physiological point of view, edema is fluid accumulated in tissue (intercellular) crevices, which leads to an increase in tissue volume.
The cause of edema can be either a violation of the drainage of fluid (blood and lymph) from the lower extremities or its increased formation.
The most common causes are from the group of mechanical obstacles. Compression of the venous vessels by tumors or the pregnant uterus is detected, when the veins are blocked by blood clots, or when the outflow of lymph through the lymphatic vessels is impaired. In this case, there is an increase in pressure in the smallest capillaries and an increase in the leakage of fluid from their blood plasma into the surrounding tissues.
Salts and proteins hold fluid in the bloodstream. Therefore, a decrease in the amount of proteins in the blood plasma promotes the release of fluid from the blood into the tissues.
Taking certain medications, including those recommended by your doctor, can contribute to fluid retention in the body. First of all (due to the frequency of administration) this refers to the group of glucocorticoids prescribed for allergies, inflammatory joint diseases, bronchial asthma, and cancer. But side effects appear only with long-term use. Sex hormone preparations, both female and male, have the same effect. Female sex hormones are taken as contraception (estrogen and progesterone in oral contraceptives), and testosterone (a male sex hormone) is prescribed to men to treat impotence and obesity. It is also worth paying attention to drugs for the treatment of high blood pressure - from the group of ACE inhibitors.
Pregnant women often complain of swelling of the legs. And there are several reasons for this. Firstly, hormonal. To maintain and normalize pregnancy, the body secretes the hormone progesterone in large quantities, which relaxes the smooth muscles of not only the uterus, but also the blood vessels and promotes fluid retention in the body. Secondly, in the second half of pregnancy, a large uterus compresses large veins in the abdominal cavity, impeding blood flow through them. This increases the pressure in the veins of the lower extremities, and they swell. Thirdly, swelling of the legs (and not only) can be a sign of gestosis (late toxicosis of pregnancy), which, as it progresses (develops), can threaten the life of both the expectant mother and the baby.
Diseases that are accompanied by edema of the lower extremities are quite diverse.
It is believed that one of the most common causes of edema is varicose veins of the lower extremities . In a healthy body, veins are vessels that drain blood from tissues to the heart (with rare exceptions). The legs have a system of deep and superficial veins, connected to each other by perforating (connecting) veins. Normally, the deep veins bear almost the entire load. But if they can’t cope, then the superficial ones come to their aid. In order for blood to move from bottom to top, the veins have valves that prevent the blood from flowing back. The surrounding leg muscles (feet, legs, thighs) push blood through the veins. When the functioning of the valve apparatus is disrupted, deep veins are blocked, or muscles are weak, blood is retained in the veins and fluid leaks from them into the surrounding tissues. This in turn leads to disruption of tissue nutrition, oxygen starvation and varicose veins.
Predisposing factors are pregnancy and childbirth, female gender, working on feet and lifting weights, and taking oral contraceptives. With varicose veins, together with edema, symptoms such as tired legs in the evening, asymmetry of edema on the right and left legs (more where the veins are more affected), the appearance of spider veins on the skin of the legs, dark areas on the legs or visible visually enlarged subcutaneous veins veins
Lymphedema is a serious disease caused by a violation of the outflow of lymph through the lymphatic vessels from the lower extremities. Lymphatic vessels collect intercellular fluid with cell metabolism products to transport it in the same direction as the veins. These are very thin and fragile vessels, so if an obstacle occurs in their path, their function is disrupted and the fluid remains in the tissues. This often happens on the legs as a result of frequent acute erysipelas. After this disease is cured, connective tissue compactions form at the site of the lesion, which compress the lymphatic vessels. As a rule, once it appears, such swelling remains forever. The last stage of lymphedema bears the self-explanatory name “elephantiasis” due to the similarity in appearance of the patient’s leg and that of the largest herbivore.
To avoid letting your legs get into this state, you should consult a specialist in time.
Swelling in the legs is quite typical for heart disease . Let's take a short excursion into anatomy. The heart is a muscular organ divided into 4 cavities. Its left half (atrium and ventricle) pumps blood through the arteries of the whole body. These vessels, branching, carry nutrients and oxygen to the tissues. Then, collecting carbon dioxide and other metabolic products in the tissues, merging into larger vessels - veins, they carry blood to the right half of the heart. From there, the blood is pumped into the lungs, where it is again saturated with oxygen and enters the left side of the heart.
Severe swelling may indicate advanced heart failure . With coronary artery disease, the heart, due to a lack of oxygen flow through the vessels clogged with atherosclerotic plaques, is not able to work at full strength, which leads to a decrease in the speed of blood flow through the vessels. The longer the blood flows through the vessel, the more fluid from the blood has time to pass into the tissues. Insufficient heart function also slows down the drainage of blood from the lower extremities. Therefore, swelling appears primarily in the legs and is accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath and pain in the heart area, under the left shoulder blade and in the left arm, aggravated by physical activity, cyanosis of the lips and nails, weakness, and palpitations. Cardiac pathology is characterized by symmetrical swelling, more in the evening, leaving a hole when pressed, and enlarged liver. Such patients require medical supervision and, if necessary, consultation with a cardiologist.
Swelling in the legs may also be a sign of kidney disease . In this case, they develop quickly, accompanied by lower back pain, fever, changes in the color and amount of urine, and swelling on the face in the eye area. This is often preceded by a week or two of a cold or sore throat. Edema in this case develops due to impaired excretion of salt and water by the affected kidneys, as well as due to a decrease in the amount of protein in the blood plasma and an increase in the permeability of the vascular wall. The protein albumin is produced in the liver and is found in the blood and tissues. Normally, albumin does not pass through the kidneys into the urine. Therefore, if protein is detected in your urine test, this is a serious sign of the disease. Such patients are often treated by nephrologists and urologists together with a general practitioner.
With hypothyroidism (decreased production of thyroid hormones), swelling is noted that does not leave a hole when pressed, combined with general weight gain, lethargy, lethargy, a tendency to constipation and depression.
Local swelling in the leg may appear with inflammatory diseases of the joints of the legs . In this case, swelling is detected only over the affected joint, this area has an increased temperature to the touch, movements in the joint are painful, and its function is impaired. This may be a sign of arthritis or arthrosis of the joint. In this case, consultation with a rheumatologist may be required.
With cirrhosis of the liver, there may also be swelling in the lower extremities and in body cavities (in the abdomen, around the heart and lungs). This may be caused by a disruption in the liver's production of albumin or by disruption of blood flow due to scarring in the liver tissue, which carries a large volume of blood to the heart. Such a patient, as a rule, has a long-term liver disease due to viral hepatitis, toxic alcoholic liver damage, or heart disease. Such patients are observed by a hepatologist and an infectious disease specialist.
It is not difficult to identify swelling on your own. First, try applying pressure on the shin area in the area of the tibia and wait a few seconds. If after this simple manipulation there remains a hole that does not disappear for a long time, this is a clear sign of edema.
An examination of a patient with edema begins with a visit to a general practitioner, who, after a thorough questioning and examination, can identify a range of probable causes of this condition.
After this, the patient is examined in the laboratory and, if necessary, referred for consultation to a specialist. It is worth taking blood and urine tests, not only general ones, but also showing kidney and liver function, and doing an electrocardiogram (ECG).
To treat edema of the lower extremities, you must first identify its cause and act on it: select cardiac medications, cure kidney disease, normalize vascular function. You can independently reduce salt intake (along with it, fluid is retained in the body) and excessive water consumption. If the doctor has not identified any contraindications, then you can use herbal teas that contain jasmine, lemon, mint, lingonberry, and cranberry. If possible, avoid wearing high-heeled shoes, and at home, elevate your feet (above the level of your heart). I would like to draw your attention to the fact that diuretics, including herbs, are taken only as prescribed and under the supervision of a doctor. Their uncontrolled use can lead to increased excretion of potassium from the body, which can lead to serious disturbances in the functioning of the heart.
Leg swelling should not be underestimated. It is better to visit a doctor to make sure that the cause is simply fatigue and fever, and not a serious illness. After all, heart disease detected in time makes it possible to prevent heart attack and stroke, and kidney disease treated in time will not lead to chronic renal failure.
One of the most dangerous complications of damage to the venous bed of the lower extremities is a violation of the integrity of the skin, up to the development of ulcerative defects and gangrene, in which amputation of the lower extremity is indicated.
With untreated deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism may develop.
Take care of your health. And remember that it depends only on you.