In some cases, diseases of the internal organs cause conditions in which a large amount of fluid accumulates in a person’s abdomen. This pathology is called ascites.
Hydrocele of the abdomen is a fairly serious pathology, which is a deposit of fluid. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of serum or aqueous fluid in the abdominal cavity and subcutaneous tissue.
Ascites is the Greek word for dropsy of the abdomen. Translated, it means “leather bag”. This pathology often indicates the presence of serious concomitant diseases. In most cases, abdominal edema occurs due to the progression of liver cirrhosis. Sometimes ascites can be accompanied by heart failure, and in some cases, by the growth of a malignant neoplasm. This disease can also be a consequence of renal pathology or dystrophy (nutritional). If you do not seek medical help in time, the consequences of ascites can be very sad.
The disease, often accompanied by swelling of the legs, can affect both adults and young people. Sometimes abdominal swelling also occurs in infants. Abdominal dropsy in this case indicates hidden bleeding or hemolytic pathology.
In toddlers, abdominal dropsy occurs when:
Fluid accumulated in the peritoneum often provokes the development of hypertension and a shift of the diaphragm to the chest area. As a result, the patient experiences difficulties associated with:
Swelling of the abdomen, which is often accompanied by swelling of the legs, helps remove salts and proteins from the body. This ultimately provokes protein deficiency.
The causes of such pathology as abdominal swelling are divided into four groups.
Modern doctors include the following diseases as the causes of fluid accumulation in the body, which is accompanied by swelling of the legs:
The causes of the disease in this case come down to the progression of oncological pathology. Malicious cells, once in the liver, impede water outflow. As a result, fluid accumulates.
Doctors call the third group end-phase renal failure. The causes of the disease lie in the development of:
The reasons for the development of pathology in this case are associated with liver pathologies:
Like any other disease, abdominal dropsy has its own specific symptoms:
In some cases, the pathology is asymptomatic.
In order to identify swelling in the lower abdomen, you just need to look at your mirror image.
Unfortunately, symptoms often appear only after at least a liter of fluid has accumulated in the body. Before this, the patient may experience symptoms of flatulence, a disease that is the first sign of abdominal dropsy. In cases of sudden onset of the disease, symptoms indicate progression of portal vein thrombosis.
Quite often the disease is accompanied by not very pleasant consequences:
If this disease is not treated, even more serious complications may occur.
The key diagnostic task is to identify the pathology accompanying ascites. The specialist pays attention to the following:
In order to correctly diagnose such a disease, the doctor receives a puncture of the abdominal cavity and a thorough examination of the fluid.
As heart failure or liver cirrhosis progresses, the resulting fluid is characterized as follows:
Treatment of a person with ascites involves stopping the spread of the pathology that accompanies it.
In most cases, modern doctors prefer to treat people conservatively. Medical care involves taking medicinal diuretics that correct pathologies of water-salt metabolism.
If taking diuretics does not lead to the desired result, the doctor decides to pump out the fluid. Laparocentesis is performed under local anesthesia.
Treatment of a person by surgical intervention is advisable only in the case of complex portal hypertension.
Treatment also includes massage procedures, which are recommended to be performed daily, twice a day. The procedures include rubbing sunflower or flaxseed oil into the stomach.
Often, treatment for a person diagnosed with ascites consists of following a special diet prescribed by a doctor.
The main rule of the “anti-ascyst” diet is to exclude soups and borscht from your diet. You should include the following additives in your menu:
It is advisable to replace “full” soups with broth made from fish or young chicken. The meat should not be fatty. When preparing chicken dishes, it is necessary to remove the skin.
It is also important for a person suffering from dropsy of the abdomen to eat dried fruits.
Treatment of the disease with folk remedies should be carried out under the strict supervision of the attending physician.
Stopping the progression of pathology with folk remedies is treatment with juices:
Getting rid of anxiety symptoms using folk remedies involves regular use of:
You can get rid of pathology with the help of:
Treatment of the disease with folk remedies includes the use of:
In order to avoid negative consequences, it is extremely important to take the necessary measures in a timely manner aimed at treating the concomitant disease. The sooner a correct diagnosis is made, the greater the person’s chances for a quick recovery.
Even when you are completely healthy, your feet may swell from time to time. This can occur on long flights, with prolonged exposure to the sun; in some women, swelling of the lower extremities occurs due to fluid retention during menstruation, allergic reactions, any injury, sprained foot or ankle, varicose veins. However, in addition to such obvious factors, there are also some diseases that can cause persistent swelling of the feet, ankles and legs.
According to statistics, chronic swelling of the feet and legs is very often a consequence of phlebitis of the extremities and cardiovascular insufficiency . It is easy to separate these states. Phlebitis is usually painful and affects only one leg, while congestive heart failure is painless and affects both legs. There are other causes of swelling of the lower extremities.
People suffering from serious kidney disease . suffer from swelling everywhere - on the arms, legs, face (it is difficult for them to put a ring on their finger or remove it). This general swelling is a consequence of the loss of protein (albumin) in the urine. This protein is produced by the liver and circulates in the blood. If the kidney is healthy, then it does not allow albumin to go into the urine; it only gets there if the kidneys are sick. When a large amount of albumin is lost, the body tries to restore balance, and fluid enters the tissues from the bloodstream in order to increase the content of this protein there. As a result of excess fluid, general edema is formed.
Advanced liver disease Firstly, damaged liver cells are not able to produce the required amount of albumin. The result is the same as if it were passed into the urine by the kidneys. Tissue swelling occurs when the body attempts to equalize protein concentrations in surrounding tissues and in the blood. Secondly, scar tissue forms in the liver, which causes stagnation of blood moving from the legs to the heart. Tumors in the abdominal cavity and large glands can also compress the veins, which causes swelling of the legs.
Have you ever wondered why starving people have bloated stomachs? Swelling of the abdomen is the result of a lack of protein in food. Fluid begins to leak out of the blood vessels into the tissues (in our case, into the abdominal cavity) in the same way as in diseases of the liver and kidneys.
With a sharp decrease in thyroid function, widespread edema also occurs, including edema of the lower extremities. As with imbalances of hepatic or renal origin, edema results from the loss of fluid from the vessels, which appears in the tissues due to the body's attempt to balance the concentration of albumin.
Swelling of the feet can also be caused by certain medications . estrogens, long-term use of steroids related to cortisone, testosterone, some types of antidepressants, birth control, drugs that lower blood pressure.
In case of pericarditis, pericardial sac . it becomes tight and dense, like “armor” around the heart. Because of this, normal relaxation and contraction of the heart muscle is difficult. As a result, less blood enters the right ventricle of the heart, and when it stagnates, the veins of the neck, abdomen, and subsequently the lower extremities begin to swell.
This is general information about how and for what reason lower limbs may swell. Now let's look at the causes of swollen legs by symptoms :
1. If swelling is observed only on one side, then diseases such as kidney or liver disease, heart weakness and lack of protein in the blood are absent.
2. In cases of heart failure, swelling usually occurs in the lower extremities rather than in the fingers or face.
3. If your legs and stomach are swollen, then most likely the cause is in the liver, not in the heart, especially if swelling first appeared in the abdomen.
4. To determine the cause of swelling of the lower extremities, try to press firmly with your finger on the swollen leg and hold for a few seconds, then release. If a dent has formed that remains for a minute or two, then we can safely rule out decreased thyroid function, but such “dimples” are observed in many other cases.
5. In men with serious liver damage, swollen legs are accompanied by yellowing, breast enlargement, redness of the palms, and a feeling of lack of air.
6. If there is swelling in both the legs and face, this is likely due to liver or heart disease. This could be a decreased function of the thyroid gland, some kind of general allergic reaction, trichinosis or compression of the heart by the pericardial sac, or kidney disease.
7. If, with swelling of the lower extremities, there is brown pigmentation of the skin, especially around the ankles, then the problem is most likely long-standing, usually associated with chronically enlarged varicose veins.
8. In case of painful, red and hot swelling, we can conclude that the leg was injured or infected, and acute phlebitis is also possible. Diseases of the kidneys, liver and heart failure, which occur without complications, do not cause pain.
9. If both legs are swollen and it is difficult to breathe, then heart failure may be suspected. Does swelling occur during the day or in the evening? If they are observed around the clock, then most likely the cause is a disorder of protein metabolism or problems with the veins. If it gets worse in the evening, then the cause probably lies in heart weakness.
10. The unexpected development of edema of the lower extremities indicates, rather, the likelihood of thrombosis, blockage or infection in the veins.
11. If swelling of the abdomen first occurs, and then the legs, this indicates a thickening of the pericardial sac or liver disease.
Ascites is an abundant accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, leading to pronounced swelling of the abdomen. In common parlance, ascites is called dropsy, or a skin bag. People of any age, including infants, are susceptible to the disease. Swelling of the abdomen, the causes of which can be very different, is often accompanied by pain, shortness of breath and a feeling of discomfort, and sometimes itching and pain.
Sometimes the size of the swelling is comparable to the size of the abdomen of a woman in the last stages of pregnancy. If the patient is in a supine position, the swelling spreads to the sides. The navel of all those suffering from ascites is strongly bulged outward. Another sign of ascites is a developed venous network on the abdomen, which becomes very noticeable.
In the abdominal cavity of a healthy person, approximately 300-500 ml of fluid accumulates, which is necessary to prevent the internal organs from sticking together. But in some cases, with the development of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cirrhosis of the liver, viral hepatitis and others, the functions of the peritoneum are disrupted, and fluid in the abdomen is not excreted, but accumulates. Thus, the abdomen swells and ascites appears.
When the abdomen swells, the patient notices that he has gained a lot of weight, not only his appearance has changed, but also his state of health. The patient feels that something is splashing and overflowing in his stomach. Swelling usually increases in the evening and decreases in the morning.
If more than 5 liters of fluid accumulates, the patient experiences shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, heartburn, nausea, belching, and the functions of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal tract are disrupted. Sometimes rectal prolapse occurs.
Typically, ascites is a consequence of some pathology occurring in the body. The following diseases can provoke ascites:
This is not a complete list of reasons why the abdomen may swell. In addition, these symptoms can be combined and aggravate each other. Such a variety of causes once again confirms the importance of timely and accurate diagnosis, which can only be carried out in a medical institution.
Premenstrual syndrome and poor nutrition are among the most harmless reasons why the abdomen may swell.
In newborn children, the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity can be congenital, acquired or hereditary pathology. The main causes of ascites in children are:
In children over three years of age, the causes of abdominal swelling are the same as in adults.
The accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity during pregnancy is a symptom of a dangerous disease - gestosis. Preeclampsia in pregnant women occurs due to increased capillary permeability and impaired water-salt metabolism. The disease is dangerous primarily for the fetus, and not for the mother.
Preeclampsia must be treated by a doctor; self-medication is unacceptable.
Abdominal swelling after mammoplasty and liposuction is a normal reaction of tissues and the body to surgical intervention. As after any surgical operation, recovery from mammoplasty and liposuction requires time during which the swelling in the abdomen should go away.
The swelling that appears after liposuction on the abdomen is usually not noticeable immediately, but about a day after the operation, and it may be uneven.
Then the swelling gradually increases and lasts for about 5-7 days, and then begins to decrease from top to bottom. The swelling completely subsides approximately 12 weeks after liposuction.
Swelling after mammoplasty is also temporary, normal, and most importantly, temporary. If we talk about the duration of swelling after mammoplasty, then everything depends on the characteristics of the body, as well as on the type of mammoplasty.
Diagnosis of the development of abdominal edema is made on the basis of laboratory tests and ultrasound results. An ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity will help exclude causes of abdominal edema such as tumor, obesity, pregnancy, ovarian cyst and others.
Laparoscopy is another reliable method for diagnosing abdominal hydrops. Laparoscopy helps determine the amount of accumulated fluid and its composition. The doctor also usually prescribes a general blood and urine test, biochemical liver tests and other necessary studies.
Dropsy of the abdomen usually does not occur on its own, but is a consequence of some disease or malnutrition. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the root cause, then the swelling of the abdominal cavity itself will go away.
Treatment of edema after liposuction and mammoplasty is usually not required; it is enough to follow a water-salt regime and diet. Shapewear, massage and physiotherapeutic procedures prescribed by a doctor help reduce swelling after liposuction and mammoplasty.
Diet is one of the necessary conditions for the treatment of abdominal dropsy. You must adhere to the following nutritional rules:
Most often, treatment of abdominal edema is carried out in a hospital. Conservative treatment is carried out in the following directions - treatment of the underlying disease and reduction of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Diuretics, potassium-sparing drugs, physiotherapy, massage, moderate exercise are prescribed (except for liposuction and mammoplasty - in this case, massage and exercise are contraindicated).
In advanced cases, medication is not enough, then the fluid is pumped out from the abdomen. The procedure for pumping out fluid is called laparocentesis and is performed under local anesthesia.
During one puncture, no more than 6 liters of fluid are pumped out; if necessary, the operation is repeated. However, doctors resort to surgical intervention only as a last resort, when all other methods have failed.
Abdominal edema is a serious but completely fixable problem. The most important thing is to consult a doctor in time for examination and prescription of effective treatment.
Most pregnant women have to deal with edema. This condition occurs as a result of the accumulation of excess fluid under the skin and is considered the first sign of various pathologies, among which the most common are:
In some cases, edema can significantly complicate the usual way of life of a pregnant woman, so it is not recommended to ignore this condition.
Most often, the expectant mother has to deal with swelling of the legs. At first, the fingers may swell; later, the swelling spreads to the ankles and ankles. In most cases, this condition is caused by excess salt content in the body and insufficient fluid intake; the expectant mother may experience constant thirst.
Swelling of the legs, which appears towards the end of the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, should alert the woman and become a reason for an unscheduled visit to the antenatal clinic. It is imperative to find out the exact cause of this condition in order to exclude the onset of gestosis (late toxicosis of pregnancy).
Swelling of the legs in expectant mothers may occur due to pressure from the growing uterus on the ureters , as a result of which the outflow of urine is disrupted and excess fluid accumulates in the body.
Varicose veins are another cause of leg swelling in the calf muscles. If a woman is genetically predisposed to varicose veins, then she may encounter this condition from the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. In this case, the expectant mother notes an increase in swelling in the evening and its almost complete disappearance in the morning after rest.
While carrying a child, a woman may notice that her hands begin to swell. Swelling begins in the fingers and gradually spreads to the entire palm and hand. This condition occurs as a result of excess salts in the body, which causes fluid to accumulate in the tissues. When the accumulated fluid puts pressure on the nerve endings, the expectant mother, in addition to swelling, begins to complain of the following symptoms:
Most often, swelling of the arms, fingers and hands during pregnancy occurs in women who work for a long time at a computer or typewriter, knit or embroider, that is, they develop as a result of increased load on the hand.
It is difficult not to notice the swelling of the face of the expectant mother, since in this case the facial features become blurry and the contour is overly rounded. If you press on the skin of the face with your finger, the pregnant woman will have a hole for a long time; in severe cases, bruises may appear at the place of pressure.
Swelling on the face in most cases is caused by a number of hormonal changes in the body; in ancient times there were even signs: if the face is swollen, then a girl will be born, if not, wait for the birth of a son. However, as practice shows, this has nothing to do with the gender of the baby and occurs equally often in both women carrying a boy and those expecting a daughter. The face of expectant mothers swells for a number of other reasons:
In any case, the expectant mother should definitely consult a doctor who will help determine the cause of the swelling and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.
Swelling of the inner lining of the nasal cavity is observed in every second woman expecting a baby. This condition is also called pregnancy rhinitis or vasomotor rhinitis. In this case, swelling is caused by a change in the amount of hormones in the woman’s body and is accompanied by the following clinical symptoms:
This condition is physiological and does not require the use of any medications; everything will go away after the baby is born.
Abdominal edema is a dangerous phenomenon, which is one of the signs of late toxicosis (preeclampsia) and poses a danger to the further course of pregnancy and the health of the fetus.
Swelling may begin in the legs and gradually spread to the lumbar region, sacrum and abdomen. The insidiousness of this condition is that visually swelling of the abdomen is difficult to notice, but meanwhile the fetus in the uterus suffers.
The expectant mother should regularly attend an antenatal clinic, where at each appointment the doctor weighs the woman and determines the weight gain over the week, and also measures the volume of the abdomen and the height of the uterine fundus. A doctor may suspect abdominal swelling based on the following criteria:
The McClure-Aldrich diagnostic test will help confirm the presence of abdominal edema in a pregnant woman, which is carried out as follows: a certain amount of saline solution of sodium chloride is injected subcutaneously into the pregnant woman and the time until complete resorption at the injection site is recorded. If more than 40 minutes have passed since the injection, and the solution remains in place or the injection has not completely dissolved, then this indicates the presence of edema.
Irina Levchenko, obstetrician-gynecologist, especially for the website Mirmam.pro
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Premenstrual syndrome is a set of symptoms that occur in women in the second phase of the menstrual cycle. Changes are caused by hormonal fluctuations. As a rule, all manifestations do not bring much joy, but, on the contrary, interfere with active life and worsen general well-being. Swelling before menstruation is familiar to almost every woman. Most often, the mammary glands are filled and bothered, but excess fluid can accumulate throughout the body. Why does this happen and how to get rid of the problem?
The edematous form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common. In some women it occurs in combination with other types (cephalgic, neuropsychic and others). There are many theories about the reasons for the occurrence of such conditions on the eve of menstruation, but all of them are only approximate and speculative. Based on this, the treatment of such disorders is also effective only at the time of taking the medication, and when discontinued, the condition recurs.
The most common theory concerns an excess of female sex hormones in a girl’s body. It is the imbalance of such active substances that plays the main role in the development and progression of edema and other manifestations of PMS. Its essence is as follows. It is believed that estrogens are able to retain sodium in a woman’s body. This entails the accumulation of fluid in the tissues, hence swelling of the breasts before menstruation or even the entire body.
Progesterone deficiency also plays a significant role. It is believed to have a natriuretic (diuretic) effect. As a rule, an excess of estrogen is accompanied by a deficiency of progesterone, and both processes are synergistic with each other. The result of such interaction brings considerable discomfort to the woman.
Studies have also proven that prolactin is able to retain sodium in the body, which leads to the retention of additional fluid. But even with normal levels of this hormone in tissues, there may be increased sensitivity to it. As a result, the effect of prolactin will be more pronounced with normal tests in a woman.
Against the background of stress and psycho-emotional overload, there is a disruption of relationships at the level of the brain, which leads to excess production of ACTH, the pituitary hormone. And through a certain system it promotes increased reabsorption of fluid in the kidneys. Also, a large role is played by the imbalance and deficiency of vitamins, especially group B, A, E and the microelement zinc. In most cases, they act indirectly, affecting the production of prostaglandins, biologically active substances.
So, why swelling before menstruation occurs in a large number of women has not been fully studied. But groups of girls susceptible to a pronounced clinical picture of premenstrual syndrome are clearly identified. These include women with the following conditions:
As a rule, before menstruation in women, the entire body or its individual parts swell. In the first case, even on the scales an increase of 2 - 3 kilograms is noticeable. At the same time, the body appears heavy and pasty.
When certain parts swell, a woman feels discomfort in this area. The most common complaints are pain and breast enlargement. Also, in parallel with this, the waist often grows. Moreover, this is due not only to edema, but possibly also to bloating.
If you are concerned about swelling of the eyes before menstruation, arms, legs, etc., there is a high probability of concomitant pathology, for example, kidney problems. Then the clinical picture can become even brighter.
Knowing the body's tendency to undergo such changes, it is better to try to prevent premenstrual syndrome. Only a doctor can prescribe the most adequate and effective treatment. But often you have to fight with what you have. To do this, there are several tips for reducing swelling on the eve of your period.
It is recommended to take mild diuretics, for example, veroshpiron. The drug will promote increased fluid secretion from the body, thereby removing swelling from the tissues. You can also use various diuretic herbs. These include lingonberries, cranberries and others.
It is recommended to use various lotions and baths on certain areas of the body. Popular methods:
But it is most effective to combat the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome in advance. You should definitely undergo an examination by specialists, since ordinary edema may hide a serious pathology, for example, renal failure.
Each has its own disadvantages and advantages, but it is more effective to use complex treatment. Another time-tested tip will tell you how to get rid of swelling before menstruation.
No matter how trivial it may sound, proper nutrition, enriched with fresh fruits and vegetables, helps a woman fight edema, among other things. Particular attention should be paid to vitamins B, A, C and zinc. A large amount of them is found in lettuce leaves, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, meat and dairy products. Therefore, any woman’s diet should always contain these ingredients.
Dosed physical activity will also help remove excess fluid from the body. But under no circumstances should you limit your drinking regime, otherwise you may become dehydrated. Any physical exercise stimulates diuresis and intestinal motility in any woman, therefore, as a rule, after training, the urge to go to the toilet always appears quickly.
Sport also balances the nervous system, and this establishes connections between tissues and organs and balances a woman’s hormonal profile. After all, excess estrogen and lack of gestagens are the main cause of the development of edema.
A woman should adjust her body weight. It is known that adipose tissue is a source of estrogens. The more extra pounds you carry, the more pronounced the swelling and other manifestations of premenstrual syndrome.
It should also be understood that in the presence of concomitant pathology in a woman, it can aggravate the manifestations of PMS. For example, swelling of the legs before menstruation will be more pronounced in those who have varicose veins of the lower extremities. Therefore, it is worth thinking about treatment, sometimes even surgery, in order to improve the quality of your life.
We recommend reading the article about pain in the legs as a sign of PMS. From it you will learn about the causes of discomfort before menstruation in adolescents and women, problems with legs during menopause, as well as ways to get rid of pain.
In the fight against premenstrual syndrome, and edema in particular, a large number of drugs, usually hormonal in nature, are used.
These are some of the most effective remedies. But only a gynecologist can choose the correct medicine, taking into account the woman’s age and health. Modern contraceptives often include hormones that have a diuretic effect. For example, "Jess". As a result, there is a significant decrease in engorgement of the mammary glands, tissue pastiness and even abdominal swelling before menstruation disappear.
But conventional contraceptives, by creating an artificial hormonal level in a woman, can minimize the manifestations of PMS.
Sometimes it is possible to prescribe only gestagens in the second phase. Duphaston or Norkolut are often used. It should be taken from days 16 to 25 of the menstrual cycle.
If tests reveal an increase in prolactin levels, its correction often leads to a decrease in the severity of swelling. The most effective drugs are Dostinex or Parlodel.
Considering that deficiency of certain vitamins plays a role in the pathogenesis of edema, regular intake of complexes will also help reduce the severity of PMS. Special formulations for correcting hormonal levels are especially effective. For example, “Time Factor” and the like. They often help relieve breast swelling and soreness before menstruation.
Taking diuretics at the beginning of the second phase also helps women effectively combat edema. The most suitable mechanism of action is Veroshpiron.
Dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies
It is impossible not to take into account the effect of patented alternative medicine. As a rule, while taking dietary supplements and homeopathic medications, all symptoms of PMS, including swelling, are minimally expressed or do not bother the woman at all.
One of the popular and effective ones is “Cyclodinone”, “Mastodinone” and others. But often when the drugs are discontinued, all symptoms return.
Many women still prefer using plants for treatment and prevention, so they are interested in how to relieve swelling before menstruation using them. The following herbs have proven effective in these situations:
If swelling occurs before menstruation, your doctor will tell you how to effectively deal with it. Of course, a woman should undergo examination and examination by a specialist to identify diseases that may aggravate or provoke such conditions. Since the main cause of swelling lies in hormonal imbalance, the most effective method is hormonal correction in combination with vitamin and herbal therapy. But only a qualified specialist can select the most suitable schemes after examining and determining the woman’s health level.
Edema is a serious symptom that requires a careful comprehensive examination of the patient and adequate treatment.
Edema is characteristic of many diseases - allergic diseases, kidney diseases, liver diseases, heart diseases. It is important to accurately identify the cause of the development of edema, since a correct diagnosis is the key to effective treatment.
Edema in heart disease develops with severe heart failure. The heart cannot cope with the load, which leads to a slowdown in blood flow in the vascular bed and the accumulation of fluid in the tissues, primarily in the legs. A simple test: press your finger on the front area of the shin above the bone and hold for 1-2 seconds. If, after pressing, a slowly disappearing hole remains, it means there is swelling. Another sign is weight gain due to fluid retention in the body.
Allergic edema that increases or is accompanied by difficulty breathing requires emergency medical attention.
Before the doctor arrives or the patient is taken to a medical facility, you must:
Treatment of edema requires treatment of the disease that caused the development of edema - compensation for heart failure, treatment of kidney disease, etc.
But there are also general recommendations.
Treatment of heart failure and edema, as one of its symptoms, is most often a lifelong process. It is necessary to select a therapy that maintains a compensated state of the cardiovascular system, and regularly visit your cardiologist to monitor the process.
At the first signs of heart failure, contact the Stolitsa Cardiology Center! Swelling is evidence of severe circulatory failure.
Avoid serious complications. Come on time!
Mamaev Hussein Kerimovich
Head of the Cardiology Department at the Arbat Clinic, Deputy Chief Physician for Clinical Expertise at the Arbat Clinic
Doctor of Medical Sciences
Tartakovsky Lev Borisovich
Head of the Department of Cardiology, Deputy Chief Physician for Clinical Expertise at the Clinic on Leninsky
A disease characterized by the accumulation of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity and leading to abdominal swelling is called ascites. As the pathology develops, the patient experiences changes in his figure, and the first clear sign is an enlarged abdomen.
If the patient is in a supine position, his stomach seems to be flattened with the lateral surfaces protruding. When in an upright position, the swollen abdominal cavity can be compared to pregnancy, it can be so large. In this case, the navel in most patients is bulging.
A sign of ascites caused by progressive portal hypertension is a prominent venous network with collaterals located around the umbilicus. The so-called “sun” is formed due to veins extending from it in different directions. Ascites in women caused by ovarian disease is treated at home by applying lotions using a decoction of chamomile.
There are several reasons why the abdomen may swell:
— violation of lymph outflow;
- the presence of a rapidly growing tumor.
An important step in diagnosing ascites is identifying the causes that provoked the disease. The main disease, which has its own characteristic symptoms, is supplemented by pulmonary congestion and peripheral edema.
If liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension are factors in the development of abdominal swelling, the disease may be accompanied by bleeding from burst varicose veins of the esophagus. In case of renal failure, ascites is complemented by swelling of the subcutaneous tissue.
In patients suffering from heart failure, not only the abdomen swells, but also the feet and legs. The cardiologist determines the symptoms of myocardial damage, and from the ECG results it becomes clear that the heart rhythm is disturbed.
Treatment of ascites begins with treatment of the underlying disease. Diuretics are prescribed to speed up the removal of accumulated fluid. Disturbed water-salt metabolism is corrected and portal hypertension disappears. In men, the main treatment of testicular ascites can be supplemented by lubricating them with castor oil. The procedure is carried out in the morning and evening for 14 days. Then they take a week break.
If drug treatment is not effective, the fluid is removed in a procedure called abdominal paracentesis. Before it is performed, the patient empties the bladder and assumes a sitting position (in severe cases, he is placed on his side).
Laparocentesis, or puncture, is performed after administration of local anesthesia along the midline of the abdomen, connecting the navel and pubis, or the navel and the iliac crest. It is allowed to take no more than 6 liters of liquid per puncture, avoiding the development of collapse.
With significant portal hypertension, which cannot be controlled in any way, the doctor may insist on surgical intervention to reduce its manifestations. During the operation, conditions are created for the absorption of accumulated ascitic fluid by neighboring tissues. So, the patient undergoes omentohepatophrenopexy - suturing the omentum to areas of the diaphragm and liver.
The danger of repeated swelling of the abdomen is that subsequent punctures can lead to fusion of the omentum or intestines with the anterior wall of the abdominal cavity. And this is already fraught with inflammation and possible serious complications.
A sign of ascites caused by progressive portal hypertension is a prominent venous network with collaterals located around the umbilicus. The so-called “sun” is formed due to veins extending from it in different directions.
Failure of the left half of the heart (heart attack, decompensated valve defects) leads to venous congestion and increased pressure in the pulmonary circulation system. Blood stagnation develops in the vessels of the lungs. Congestion in the pulmonary vessels is accompanied by hypoxia, decreased resistance of the lung tissue, and a tendency to develop opportunistic microflora and pneumonia. Acute insufficiency of muscle contractions of the left half of the heart leads to severe pulmonary edema and asphyxia. lethal outcome.
Insufficiency of the functional activity of the right half of the heart (infarction, myocarditis, decompensated defect) is accompanied by an increase in pressure, venous stagnation in the systemic circulatory system. In this case, edema in animals is found in areas of the body lying below the heart area - in the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen, thoracic and pelvic limbs, and dewlap.
Chronic right-sided heart failure is accompanied by hypoxia of parenchymal organs and the development of dystrophic changes. This is one of the reasons for the development of liver cirrhosis. portal hypertension. dropsy of the abdominal cavity (ascites).
Hypotension caused by heart failure reflexively involves the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone mechanism of water retention in the response. The resulting hypervolemia aggravates the severity of the process, contributing to a large accumulation of transudate in the tissues.
In addition to heart failure, the cause of congestive edema can be venous thrombosis, a violation of the outflow of intercellular fluid through the lymphatic collectors. The hydrodynamic pressure in the veins and capillary network increases, the vessels dilate, and the outflow of interstitial fluid stops. Transudation in the focus of stagnation is facilitated by the resulting hypoxia and acidosis, due to the development of which the permeability of the membranes significantly increases, resulting in the release of not only fluid, but also plasma protein. Transudate, squeezing the lymphatic ducts, prevents lymphatic drainage.