symptoms of heart and blood vessel disorders
heart and blood vessel disorders
Swelling
Swelling that occurs throughout the body has different causes than swelling that is confined to a single limb or part of a limb. Widespread swellingis most commonly caused by Heart Failure (HF) None Liver Failure None Kidney disorders (especially Nephrotic Syndrome ) These disorders all cause fluid retention, which is the cause of the swelling. Another cause of swelling of the lower legs is pooling of blood in the legs. Many obese, middle-aged or older people normally have a small amount of swelling at the end of the day due to blood pooling. This swelling typically goes away by morning. Blood can also pool in the legs if the valves in the veins are widened or damaged ( Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post-Thrombotic Syndrome ) such as may occur in people who previously had blood clots in the legs. In such people, the swelling usually does not go away overnight. Many women normally have some swelling during the later stages of pregnancy. However, women who have a large amount of swelling, particularly if swelling also involves the hands and face and is accompanied by high blood pressure, may have Preeclampsia and Eclampsia , which can be dangerous. Swelling that is confined to a single limb or part of a limbis most commonly caused by A blood clot in a deep-lying vein in a limb ( Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) ) Skin infection ( Cellulitis ) Many disorders increase risk of blood clots in a vein. Most often, these clots develop in a leg vein but sometimes they occur in an arm vein. Blood clots in a vein can be dangerous if the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, blocking an artery there (called ). Cellulitis typically causes swelling of the skin over only part of a limb. Much less often, an infection deep under the skin or in the muscles can cause the whole limb to swell. Blockage of a lymph vessel (such as occurs in Lymphedema ) is a less common cause. Lymph vessels, which occur throughout the body, help drain fluid from tissues. If a tumor pushes on the lymph vessels or surgery is done to remove some lymph vessels or nodes (for example, when women with Sometimes, an allergic reaction causes swelling around areas such as the mouth (angioedema). Angioedema can also be a hereditary disorder in which swelling comes and goes at irregular intervals. 