Edema: Exploring Causes, Effects, and Management Strategies

This report provides a detailed overview of edema, a medical condition characterized by swelling in body parts. It explores the various causes of edema, including fluid leakage from blood vessels and accumulation in tissues, which can be triggered by medications, excessive salt intake, and underlying health issues like heart, liver, and kidney diseases. The report differentiates between types of edema, such as peripheral, pedal, cerebral, and macular edema, and outlines the symptoms, risk groups, and diagnostic methods, including physical examinations, blood tests, and imaging. Treatment strategies discussed include elevating affected areas, using diuretics, and decongestive therapy. The report also addresses potential complications like difficulty walking, reduced blood circulation, and skin ulcers, along with preventative measures such as reducing sodium intake and exercise. It concludes by emphasizing that edema is neither contagious nor hereditary and can be effectively managed through various treatments and preventive actions.

Running Head: EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
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1EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
Introduction
Edema is a medical term used to describe swelling in body parts. The swelling can impact a
small area or the entire body. There are several complications that can lead to edema. This
article throws insight on the causes and effects of the various types of edema. It will also
discuss on the diagnosis, treatment and the prevention strategies involved.
Discussion
Edema causes leakage of fluid from small blood vessels into the nearby tissues. This leads to
build up of extra fluid in that region promoting the swelling. This can occur in any part of the
body (Bhattacharya et al., 2016).
Types of edema
Edema can be peripheral or pedal. Peripheral edema affects the legs, feet and ankles but can
also occur in the arms. It can occur due to complications in the circulatory system, lymph
node or the kidneys (Trayes et al., 2013). Pedal edema occurs when the fluid accumulates in
the feet and the lower legs. This is observed in pregnant women as well as in the old age.
Two other types of edema which are comparatively less frequent are cerebral edema and
macular edema. Cerebral edema occurs in the brain whereas macular edema occurs due to
diabetic retinopathy.
Causes
Edema is majorly caused by the accumulation of fluids in the tissues of the body. There are
multiple problems that can lead to fluid accumulation. It can be caused as a side effect of
different medication or if an individual is standing or sitting for too long fluid starts
accumulating in the feet (Mitchell et al., 2014). Too much of salt consumption with food can
also aggravate fluid accumulation. There are several health challenges that can cause edema

2EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
like congestive heart failure, liver disease as well as kidney disease. But it should be noted
that edema is neither contagious nor hereditary.
Risk groups
The risk groups include high blood pressure medications, oestrogens, non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs, steroid drugs thiazolidinedione and similar diabetes medication also
Symptoms
The symptoms of edema include swelling or puffiness of the tissues, the skin will look
shiny, increased size of the abdomen and the affected skin retains dimples (Mitchell et al.,
2014).
Diagnosis
There will be a physical examination done on the affected skin to observe the retaining of
dimples. In complicated cases urine analysis, blood test, MRI, X-rays and even ultrasound
might be done to confirm edema (Mathew, Yunirakasiwi & Sanjay, 2015).
Treatment
The elevation of the affected area above the heart level throughout the day is considered to
be an effective treatment. The best way for treatment of edema is to treat the conditions that
cause it (Pennardt, 2013). Water pills also known as diuretics are often administered. These
medications aid in removal of extra fluid and flushes excess salt from the body through the
urine. This is observed only in case of severe edema. Decongestive therapy also helps in
treating edema.

3EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
Complications with Edema
Edema can lead to several complications like difficulty in walking, stiffness, high risk of
acquiring infection in the swollen area. It reduces blood circulation as well as elasticity in the
affected arteries, veins, joints and muscles. The patient can even be prone to skin ulcers.
Prevention
Mild edema can be treated by reducing the sodium intake, increased participation in
exercise (Stern, Cifu, & Altkorn, 2013). Wearing stockings and avoiding extremes of
temperature also helps.
Conclusion
It has been confirmed that edema is neither be contagious or hereditary. This it can be
concluded from this article that edema though a common disease can easily be treated as well
as prevented by easy means.

4EDEMA- CAUSE AND EFFECT
Reference
Bhattacharya, M., Kallet, R. H., Ware, L. B., & Matthay, M. A. (2016). Negative-pressure
pulmonary edema. Chest, 150(4), 927-933.
Mathew, C., Yunirakasiwi, A., & Sanjay, S. (2015). Updates in the management of diabetic
macular edema. Journal of diabetes research, 2015.
Mitchell, P., Wong, T. Y., & Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment Guideline Working Group.
(2014). Management paradigms for diabetic macular edema. American journal of
ophthalmology, 157(3), 505-513.
Pennardt, A. (2013). High-altitude pulmonary edema: diagnosis, prevention, and
treatment. Current sports medicine reports, 12(2), 115-119.
Stern, S. C., Cifu, A. S., & Altkorn, D. (2013). Symptom to Diagnosis. McGraw-Hill
Company.
Trayes, K. P., Studdiford, J. S., Pickle, S., & Tully, A. S. (2013). Edema: diagnosis and
management. American family physician, 88(2).

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