What is Edema?

Water Retenion, or Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues. Although edema can affect any part of your body, it's most commonly noticed in your hands, arms, feet, ankles and legs.

Water retention problems arise when fluid is not removed by the lymph system properly, it is retained in the body tissues where it causes swelling (edema). Water retention in the body is most common in the feet and legs, but it can occur in the hands, arms, abdominal cavity (ascites) and around the lungs (known as pulmonary edema).

It is very common for even healthy adults to experience weight fluctuations due to water retention, which account for many day-to-day fluctuations on the scale. While most people can retain up to five pounds of "hidden" water weight within the natural fluid that surrounds cells, known as extra-cellular fluid, those who are overweight or suffer from obesity people may retain up to eight to ten pounds.

Edema can be the result of underlying medical conditions, certain medications or pregnancy.

Identifying and treating the underlying cause of edema is key to effectively controlling it. Self-care measures coupled with medication that removes excess fluid usually can effectively treat edema.

What are the Symptoms?

Signs and symptoms of edema include:

1. Feeling of puffiness, especially the feet, ankles and legs
2. Appearance of shiny, stretched skin
3. Dimples/indentations upon pressing the skin
4. Swollen, stiff and painful joints
5. Headaches
6. A bloated or enlarged abdomen
7. Breathing difficulties
8. Decreased flexibility of the joints (ankles, wrists and fingers)
9. Sudden or rapid weight gain
Shortness of breath, chest pain, redness or heat in the swollen edematous area(s) are rare but serious symptoms that should receive immediate medical care.

What are the Causes?

Edema occurs when tiny blood vessels in your body (capillaries) leak fluid. This leakage can result from damage to or increased pressure in the capillaries, or from lowered levels of serum albumin, a protein in your blood. When your body senses the capillaries are leaking, your kidneys begin to retain more sodium and water than normal to compensate for the lost fluid from your blood vessels. This increases the amount of fluid circulating through your body, which causes the capillaries to leak more. The fluid from the capillaries leaks into the surrounding tissue, causing the tissue to swell.

Mild cases of edema may result from:

1. Sitting or staying in one position for too long
2. Eating too much salty food
3. Premenstrual signs and symptoms
4. Pregnancy, which can cause swelling in your hands, feet and face from excess fluid retention
Edema can be a side effect of some medications, including:
1. Drugs that open blood vessels (vasodilators)
2. Calcium channel blockers (calcium antagonists)
3. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
4. Estrogens
5. Certain diabetes medications called thiazolidinediones
In some cases, however, edema may be a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition. Diseases and conditions that may cause edema include:
1. Congestive heart failure. When one or both of your heart's lower chambers loses its ability to pump blood effectively — as happens in congestive heart failure — the blood can back up in your legs, ankles and feet, causing edema.
2. Cirrhosis. This disease causes scarring of your liver, which interferes with liver function, causing changes in the hormones and chemicals that regulate fluids in your body, as well as increasing pressure within the large blood vessel (portal vein) that carries blood from your intestine, spleen and pancreas into your liver. These problems can result in fluid accumulating in your legs and your abdominal cavity (ascites).
3. Kidney disease. When you have kidney disease, your kidneys may not be able to eliminate enough fluid and sodium from your blood. The extra fluid and sodium increases pressure in your blood vessels, causing edema. Edema associated with kidney disease usually occurs in your legs and around your eyes.
4. Kidney damage. Damage to the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys (glomeruli) that filter waste and excess water from your blood can result in nephrotic syndrome. One result of nephrotic syndrome is low levels of protein (albumin) in your blood, which can lead to fluid accumulation and edema.
5. Weakness or damage to veins in your legs. Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition in which the veins and valves in the veins in your legs are weakened or damaged and can't pump enough blood back to your heart. The remaining blood increases pressure in the veins, causing swelling.
6. Inadequate lymphatic system. Your body's lymphatic system helps clear excess fluid from tissues. If this system is damaged — either due to lymphedema that occurs on its own (primary lymphedema) or because of a disease or medical condition, such as cancer or an infection (secondary lymphedema) — the lymph nodes and lymph vessels draining an area may not work correctly and edema results.

Tests and Diagnosis

To understand what might be causing your edema, your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your medical history.

If your doctor suspects an underlying condition as the cause of your edema, he or she may recommend certain tests to help identify the cause. Tests might include:

1. A urine test (urinalysis)
2. Blood tests
3. Measuring or estimating the pressure in certain blood vessels, such as in your jugular vein
4. A chest X-ray

Treatments

Treating edema usually involves:

1. Treating the underlying cause of edema
2. Taking medication to increase your kidneys' output of water and sodium (diuretics), including thiazide diuretics, furosemide (Lasix) or spironolactone (Aldactone)
3. Limiting salt in your diet to decrease fluid retention, as recommended by your doctor
In some cases, diuretics may not be appropriate to treat edema, such as in some people who have chronic venous insufficiency or in most pregnant women.

Natural Remedies

Natural and holistic treatments provide gentle water retention remedies. Those seeking a natural remedy for water retention may use herbs such as Uva ursi, Horse chestnut and Buchu for their excellent diuretic properties. Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) and Olea europea help to balance blood pressure, assist liver and gall bladder functioning and improve circulation.

Water retention remedies that use herbal and homeopathic remedies are safe and effective and not as harsh as prescription diuretics.