Leg Swelling
Thursday, October 29th, 2009The general cause of a leg swell is the additional fluid that gathers in the lower extremity tissues. If this swelling remains and is indented by a finger it is termed as Edema Pitting. There can also be other less usual causes for this problem that include Eosinophilic fasciitis and scleroderma which result in the thickness of the skin. In these cases, the leg swelling is characterized by non-pitting edema. Some of the main causes of pitting edema include Cellulitis, Baker Cyst, Congestive Heart Failure, Eosinophilic-Fasciitis, Kidney Failure, Cirrhosis of the Liver, and Scleroderma.
In Cellulitis, the skin and the tissues under it get bacterially infected. As the area is initially it eventually gets larger, swells and becomes reddish.
The leg swelling due to baker cyst is a result of the protruding of knee joint fluid behind the knee cap.
In congestive heart failure, the heart is not properly able to perform its blood pumping function to the different organs of the body. This in result effects all the body organs directly or indirectly as reduction in blood supply causes the different parts of the body to work improperly and some vital parts of the body like kidneys don’t work properly and effect the other parts of the body.
Eosinophilic-Fasciitis is a specific subtype of white blood cells. Their number should not increase the normal biological limit set by nature. Fascia is the name of a tissue under the skin to cover underlying tissues surface. In Eosinophilic-Fasciitis skin inflammation and thickening occurs and the fascia underneath swells result in legs swelling.
