Types of edema (according to its causes and main symptoms)

It is common to hear elderly people who have circulation problems say that they have fluid retention in their legs. If observed, they appear swollen and inflamed, as if they were partially filled with water.

The same thing happens on some occasions after getting a burn, after a surgical intervention, if we suffer from any liver, heart, or metabolic disease or simply from prolonged standing and exercising in extreme temperatures elevated.

This swelling is what is called edema, and it can have different types of origins. There are several types of edema, the main ones of which we will explore in this article.

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What is an oedema?

We understand by edema the swelling of soft tissues caused by the presence of fluid accumulation in them.. Also known as fluid retention, this swelling can appear for a wide variety of reasons, from the existence of a metabolic, liver or cardiovascular system to being overheated with great exertion or standing or sitting for too long, medication use, or lack or excess of nutrients. Keep in mind that although it may appear for harmless reasons, it can be a sign that may be indicating the presence of a disorder or disease.

The symptoms will vary depending on the cause, although it is common for tiredness, discomfort or tingling, difficulty in movement and reduction in the amount of urine emitted (which is why in many cases the associated treatment causes a spectacular increase in desire to urinate).

Causes

What causes the swelling is an imbalance in the interstitial fluid. This liquid is what bathes the space between the cells of our body and allows the cells to receive nutrients while eliminating waste. This fluid moves in and out of our cells constantly, maintaining a balance between the amount of fluid inside and outside the cells. On some occasions, imbalances can occur that cause an accumulation of interstitial fluid in the white tissues, producing edema.

Edema can be grouped and classified according to various criteria. The most common refer to the level of generalization of the edema and the location of its origin or etiology.

Types of edema according to the level of generalization

One of the ways to classify edema is according to whether fluid retention is generalized throughout the body or localized in a specific area. In this aspect, the existence of two basic typologies can be considered..

1. Localized or local edema

This is the most common type of edema and the easiest to see. In them, the presence of fluid is located at certain points in the body, which are usually affected by some type of venous or lymphatic problem, such as a thrombus.

Some of the most frequent subtypes of local edema are the following.

1.1. Peripheral edema

It is the type of edema that is located in the extremities. They can have different causes, such as circulatory problems.

1.2. Brain edema

An edema in the brain can be very dangerous, because it can cause suffocation or compression of the neural tissue. The effects can vary greatly, but the presence of dizziness, headache, memory and concentration problems and nausea is not uncommon, and can lead to death in some cases.

1.3. Pulmonary edema

A dangerous as well as relatively frequent edema, these types of edema flood the lungs of those who suffer from them and usually cause symptoms such as weakness, fatigue or sensations of suffocation. It often appears in response to blood supply problems.

1.4. macular edema

Produced in or around the eye, it can involve a more or less severe affectation depending on where it appears and if it causes pressure on the eyeball.

1.5. angioedema

Edema produced in the mucous membranes and in the skin. It is usually caused by allergic reactions.

2. Generalized edema

This type of edema is rarer to see and usually has a cause that affects the body as a whole. The swelling is generalized. Within this group we can find different subtypes, which tell us where the cause of the swelling comes from.

2.1. cardiac edema

This type of edema is the one that occurs in the heart, and that presents a high danger if it is not treated because it can cause death. It is common for blood volume to decrease, venous pressure to rise, and heart rate problems to occur, such as tachycardia or bradycardia.

2.2. deficiency edema

This type of edema is produced by the absence of nutrients due to malnutrition., poor metabolism or due to excessive emission or expulsion of components from the body. For example, due to anemia or the emission of excess minerals in the urine

23. kidney edema

Caused by difficulties in filtering blood and expelling urine. It is common to produce what is known as acute nephritic syndrome, in which dark urine usually appears due to the presence of blood in it.

2.4. cirrhotic edema

This type of edema is mainly due to problems derived from the liver.. The swelling and accumulation occur in the peritoneum. Sometimes it is accompanied by jaundice.

2.5. idiopathic edema

This edema is linked to the presence of hormonal problems.

Types of edema according to their origin

In addition to its level of generalization in the body, other types of edema can also be observed, such as if the affectation is produced by lymphatic alterations or by the presence of vascular alterations or changes in pressure or composition sanguine.

3. lymphatic edema

Those types of edema produced by causes and alterations related to the lymphatic system are considered as such.. Within them you can find the primary ones, in which there are birth malformations in the system lymphatic and usually affect the extremities, or secondary in those cases in which acquired damage occurs in them.

The latter can be the effect of surgeries such as those to resect tumors in the system lymphatic, or in cases of burns, blows or infections that cause destruction or hypofunction of a glass

4. dynamic edema

This group of edemas include those edemas in which the lymphatic system does not present alterations but in which an excess of liquid is perceived caused by systems or situations in which the user is not directly involved. limbic system.

These include venous edema derived from thrombi or problems in the blood vessels, those produced by blows that generate inflammations, medication, gestational in which there may be a swelling in the mother due to varicose veins and hormones during the pregnancy, postpartum, that produced by surgeries (in which the lymphatic system itself is not altered), deficiencies or some of the generals.

Bibliographic references:

• Cecil, R. (2015). Cecil Medicine (24th ed.). Philadelphia, Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.
• Casper, D. (2015). Harrison's principles of internal medicine (19th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, Medical Pub. Division.
• Renkin, E.M. (1994) Cellular aspects of transvascular exchange: a 40-year perspective. Microcirculation 1(3):157–67.