Idiopathic edema is fluid accumulation in the extremities with no known cause. It is more common in women than men and can be uncomfortable and painful. Treatment options include dietary changes, medication, and compression garments. Medical tests may be needed to confirm a diagnosis and find a cause.
Idiopathic edema is an accumulation of fluid in the extremities with no known cause. It is more common in women than men, and there are a number of treatment options available to help people manage the condition. Several medical tests may be needed to confirm a diagnosis, as sometimes a cause is not obvious but can be identified by a specialist or doctor experienced in the area of managing and treating edema.
Edema occurs when fluid begins to leak from blood vessels and builds up in the extremities, where it cannot be successfully expressed from the body. There is a wide variety of known causes for edema, including kidney and heart disease, as well as vascular disease. In people with idiopathic edema, the body usually starts retaining salt for no known reason, and this causes blood vessels to leak fluid.
The amount of swelling can vary over time, and sometimes patients feel a feeling of heaviness without any real physical signs of swelling. The condition can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, especially for people who stand for long periods of time during the day. Swelling and pain may increase with standing and heat.
Treatments for edema may include making dietary changes and giving the patient medication to try to get rid of some of the excess fluid. Compression garments can be used to slowly force fluid out of the vessels so it can be removed by the kidneys and to prevent further fluid buildup. Healthcare professionals may also evaluate a patient with a suspected case of idiopathic edema for obscure and unusual causes to see if the condition actually has a cause. Finding a cause can help with management and treatment.
During testing to determine the cause of edema, patients should be sure to thoroughly review their medical history. An apparently unrelated symptom or disease may actually be closely related and it would be important to know about them. Patients will also be asked to disclose all medications they are using, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements, and may be required to keep a food diary so a healthcare professional can get a complete picture of what the patient is eating and when . All of this information will be useful in a clinical evaluation, where a complete picture is essential for making diagnostic decisions.
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