The doctor explained how the type of edema can understand their cause

With edema, shoes usually become tight, rings are tight, traces of rubber bands remain on the legs, weight grows, the face looks puffy, bags under the eyes appear. Similar symptoms may appear due to dietary errors or a difficult day on the legs. However, if edema often bothers you, you should figure out what the reason is, said the therapist Oksana Drapkina.

According to her, edema can be divided into physiological and pathological.

So, the first ones usually arise due to fluid retention in the body due to an excess of salty and sweet in the diet and alcohol abuse. Feet often swell from standing or sitting for long periods of time, especially when cross-legged and when wearing tight shoes. Another common cause of puffiness is premenstrual syndrome.

According to the expert, to get rid of physiological edema, including pregnant women and women in the period before menstruation, will help: diet correction; physical activity; comfortable shoes; massage; cool baths; rest with raised legs.

With pathological edema, everything is more complicated. Doctor Drapkina named 10 major diseases that can provoke the development of such edema.

Kidney diseases. Such edema develops quickly and often, in the morning. The face, under the eyes, hands and feet swell, the appearance of the skin changes – it becomes loose and pale, but its temperature does not change. When pressing with a finger on the edema, a hole remains, which does not disappear immediately. Also, a person may be disturbed by lower back pain, difficulty urinating, a decrease in the amount of urine, lethargy and weakness.

Heart disease. In this case, edema develops slowly. They appear in the evening – on the feet and ankles, and as the disease progresses, they rise higher – to the hips and lower abdomen. They are dense to the touch, and the skin is cooler than other parts of the body, a specific cyanotic hue may appear. When pressed, a rapidly disappearing fossa remains on the skin. Often, cardiac edema is accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue.

Preeclampsia. This is a serious complication of pregnancy that requires emergency medical care. Preeclampsia presents as sudden and severe swelling of the arms, legs, and face, often accompanied by severe headache, vision changes, shortness of breath, nausea, or pain in the upper abdomen.

Liver diseases. In this case, fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity (ascites). The feet, legs, and thighs may swell. Edema is accompanied by yellowness of the skin, redness of the palms and feet, weight loss and weakness. Men can develop gynecomastia, an enlargement of the mammary glands.

Diseases of the veins (varicose veins). Venous edema is unilateral, dense, combined with fatigue and pain in the calf muscles. The more time a person spends on his feet, the stronger the swelling. In the later stages, dilated veins show through the skin. Varicose veins are dangerous for the development of thrombophlebitis – inflammation of a vein with the formation of a blood clot inside it. With thrombophlebitis, the swelling is hot, painful, with reddening of the skin.

Allergy. Edema develops at the site of contact with the allergen, and in severe cases spreads throughout the body.

Lymphedema (elephantiasis). Usually this is a consequence of operations to remove malignant tumors, less often – infection with the filaria parasite. Such edema is dense, persistent, often unilateral, and does not disappear after rest. Over time, the affected part of the body greatly increases in volume, the skin becomes thick, hard and ribbed.

Inflammatory diseases of the joints (arthritis). They are characterized by redness and fever of the skin over the edematous joint, limitation of mobility, pain and stiffness of movements. Possible fever and weakness.

Metabolic disorders (hungry edema). It develops against the background of starvation, a strict vegan diet, or in violation of the absorption of nutrients in severe diseases. The expression “swell with hunger” is just about hungry swelling. This is due to insufficient intake or absorption of protein from food.

Diseases of the thyroid gland. Dense edema (myxedema) on the face, hands and feet is characteristic of a decrease in thyroid function – hypothyroidism. In addition to edema, there are other symptoms: slowness, drowsiness, memory impairment, chilliness, a rare pulse, menstrual irregularities, and a decrease in body temperature.