What are the risk and complications of having swollen legs during kidney diseases?

Rahul Kumar January 06, 2021

There are different kinds of swelling in the body. One leg or both legs swelling, symmetrical or asymmetrical, or swelling in the specific part of the legs. The swelling may come and go or be there for long. Perhaps, swelling could be painful. Taking into different factors, we have shared some important information about edema or swelling in the body.

Edema is the swelling caused by excess fluid in the body’s tissues. During kidney disease, the kidneys are not able to maintain the right balance of fluid and electrolytes. The excess fluid in the blood seeps into cells and tissues, which is why swelling can be seen in patients. Swelling can also be caused as a result of medication, pregnancy, or congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis, etc.

Edema can affect any part of your body, but you may notice more in your hands, arms, legs, ankles, and feet. Puffiness of the eyes is also a common sign of edema.

The treatment might include taking medication to remove excess fluid and reducing the amount of salt in your food. If you are a kidney patient, if edema is a complication in you, the disease itself requires treatment.

Signs of edema include:

Edema itself is a sign that there is something wrong with your body. Some different signs that can appear along with edema may include:

Swelling or the puffiness of the tissue under the skin.
Skin that retains pits after being pressed for a time.
Increased abdominal size.
Skin that looks stretched or shiny.

When to see a doctor?

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have stretchy skin or swelling in your body. See your doctor if this goes along with:

Shortness of breath
Chest pain

These can be signs of pulmonary edema or kidney failure if changes in urination are witnessed. Either condition requires an immediate treatment approach.

In addition, if you have been sitting for a prolonged direction, such as on a chair at your office place and you suffer leg pain and swelling is not going away, you should call your doctor. It can even symbolize a blood clot deep in your vein or deep vein thrombosis.

Swelling Legs Treatment in Ayurveda

What are the causes of edema?

Edema occurs when the tiny blood vessels start to leak fluid. The fluid accumulates in the cells and tissues, leading to swelling.

During pregnancy, the body retains more sodium and water than usual due to the fluid requirement of the fetus and placenta. This also increases the risk of developing edema.

Generalized swelling can also occur because of:

Sitting in one position for several hours.
Eating too much salty food.
Having premenstrual signs and symptoms
Being pregnant.

Edema can also occur because of some medications, including:

High blood pressure medications.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Steroid drugs.
Estrogens.
Certain diabetes medications called thiazolidinediones.

Apart from kidney disease, swelling in the legs can also be imputed to serious medical conditions such as:

Congestive heart failure. When you have congestive heart failure, one or both of the heart’s lower chambers lose their ability to pump the blood. In response to this, blood can back up in your legs, ankles, and feet, causing edema. As the condition causes fluid to buildup in your lungs, you may also have shortness of breath or swelling in your abdomen.
Liver cirrhosis. Liver damage may cause fluid to accumulate in your abdominal cavity and in your legs.
Kidney damage. Damage to the small blood vessels in the kidneys (glomerulus) can result in nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome is a group of conditions resulting in too much protein (albumin) in the urine. Declined albumin blood level also contributes to edema.
Damage to veins in your legs. If you have chronic venous insufficiency, the obstruction in the blood flow process to the heart allows blood to pool in your legs and cause swelling. Deep vein thrombosis or DVT is swelling in one of your leg veins and pain in your calf muscle due to a blood clot. Consult your doctor right away as this is life-threatening.
Inadequate lymphatic system. The body’s lymphatic system helps remove excess fluid from tissues. Of chance, this system is not working properly, draining excuses fluid is not possible, and so edema can occur.
Albumin loss. A protein called albumin helps prevent fluid from pooling in the blood. If you are taking a diet low in protein can lead to fluid accumulation and edema eventually.

Complications

If left untreated, edema during kidney disease can cause: