Anasarca: what is it, the causes, symptoms and treatment

Many people completely do not pay attention to various ailments, postponing to the last visit to the doctor. For medical help a person usually turns already when the disease reaches its peak, and its symptoms are very pronounced. Doctors do not like this attitude to health, because treatment at an early stage of the disease helps to avoid a large number of complications, such as, for example, anasarca. What it is? This is a pronounced edema of the subcutaneous tissue due to the presence in it of excess fluid that the body is not able to withdraw. In this article, we will take a closer look at this terrible complication.

Anasarka - what is it?

Anasarka is a diffuse swelling of the soft tissues, which is formed most often in the lower part of the trunk. Contribute to its occurrence of various diseases, and it is considered their complication. If the anasarku is not cured in time, it will lead to a serious deterioration in health, as the fluid begins to accumulate not only in the subcutaneous layers, but also in all internal organs. The patient's condition in this case is regarded as very serious, requiring immediate medical correction. Thus, if there is an anasarca, symptoms and treatment should be controlled by a doctor.

Causes of anasarca

Puffiness provokes various diseases. Since this is an edema, the causes of anasarca are associated with a violation of transcapillary fluid exchange between tissues and blood. This is a very serious complication, requiring immediate medical attention.

Why is swelling considered a formidable complication? The fact is that the anasarka quite often accompanies severe, chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Often, edema occurs as a result of the development of cancer. If there are pathologies of the urinary system, swelling is formed as a result of a violation of the normal excretion of fluid from the body, which is very noticeable on the legs, hands and morning on the face.

In diseases of the heart and blood vessels, especially with heart failure, swelling is more pronounced in the evening. There is a heaviness in the legs, tingling, pain, cramps calf muscles. When you bend the foot and turn the ankle, painful sensations appear.

Often the anasarka occurs when there is a disturbance in blood circulation, insufficient work of the heart, when its pumping function is weakened. It provokes edema and myocardial infarction, as well as flaws in the valves, when connective tissue replaces muscle.

Such reasons do not arise independently, but one factor pulls the other. It does not matter what causes contributed to the appearance of edema, since virtually any disease can provoke the onset of anasarca.

Symptoms of anasarca in heart failure

The main disease affects the symptoms of swelling and the degree of its progression. Anasarca with heart failure develops slowly, affecting the distal parts of the lower limbs. This is especially pronounced in the evenings. Why does edema arise in this area? Only here the hydrostatic pressure is high because of the distance from the heart.

If severe heart failure occurs, swelling in significant amounts begins to cover the lower back, the front of the abdomen, the genitals, the thorax. Swelling in bedridden patients is most strongly formed in the region of the back and sacrum, which is explained by the influence of gravity. If the treatment is ineffective, then the anasarka provokes ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity) and pulmonary edema (hydrothorax).

Symptoms of anasarca in diseases of the kidneys and urinary system

If there is a pathology of the urinary system or diseased kidneys, the symptoms of anasarca begin to manifest due to a violation of normal fluid filtration, as it begins to accumulate in the body. The volume of circulating blood increases, which leads to a lack of protein molecules in the plasma, and the oncotic pressure decreases. Because of this, there is swelling of the subcutaneous tissue.

If a person has diseased kidneys, the symptoms of anasarca are diverse in terms of localization, severity, and persistence. In the first hours after waking up, bags are formed under the eyes, the face becomes puffy, and hands begin to swell. If the nephrotic syndrome begins to progress against the background of a disturbance in the mineral metabolism, there is an increase in edema. Anasarca develops very rapidly, and the patient's condition can only alleviate systemic hemodialysis.

Treatment of puffiness

Many patients often have a question when a doctor recommends that they treat such a disease as anasarca: "What is it?" It 's not even a disease, it's a complication. If the edema is of moderate severity and manifests a small accumulation of fluid in the soft tissues of the limbs, then medication may not be needed. In this case, review the diet of the patient, limiting the use of salt. In addition, you should wear a corrective knitwear.

If edema is caused by heart failure and they affect all organs and systems, the patient is prescribed a bed rest with the use of drugs of the cardiac glycoside group. In addition, the doctor may prescribe drugs that have a dilating effect on the walls of venous vessels. To eliminate the metabolic disturbances in the cardiac muscle, the patient is prescribed a group of cardiotropic metabolites.

Very good for edema use of diuretics. Anasarka, which arose as a result of chronic heart pathology, is treated with a combination of such drugs as "Furosemide" and "Veroshpiron", daily diuresis is necessarily controlled.

If diuretics are powerless, and puffiness continues to progress, and respiratory failure occurs, the doctor may decide to surgically remove fluid from the abdominal and pleural cavities with thoraco- and pleurocentesis.

Treatment of puffiness with folk remedies

To treat edemas that have arisen from heart diseases, take birch leaves and buds in equal amounts, crush and add to them the same amount of lawn grass and parsley seeds. Stir and brew one tablespoon of this mixture in a glass of boiling water. Infusion is taken in a warm form 3-4 times a day for a quarter of a glass.

Infusion of the leaves of the May dandelion is a good help in getting rid of swelling.

Conclusion

Often patients ask the question: "Anasarca - what is it?" Now it became clear that this complication in the form of puffiness, arising from various diseases. At the slightest hint of this pathology, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to avoid serious consequences.