If you notice your legs are swollen, that’s a sign of ca…” — What could it mean?
Swollen legs are not automatically a sign of one particular disease. The medical term is edema, meaning excess fluid has accumulated in the tissues. There are many possible causes.
Possible causes include:
- 🫀 Heart problems, including heart failure
- 🫘 Kidney disease
- 🫁 Liver disease
- 🩸 Poor circulation or chronic venous insufficiency
- 💊 Medication side effects, including some blood-pressure medicines
- 🧂 Excessive salt intake
- 🪑 Sitting or standing for long periods
- 🦵 An injury or inflammation
- 🩸 Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), particularly when swelling is sudden and affects one leg.
🚨 Don’t ignore sudden one-sided swelling
If one leg suddenly becomes swollen, painful, warm or discolored, seek medical attention promptly because these can be symptoms of a blood clot.
If leg swelling occurs with chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, fainting, or coughing up blood, seek emergency medical care immediately because a clot may have traveled to the lungs.
What about swelling in both legs?
Gradual swelling in both ankles or legs is often less urgent, but if it persists, worsens, or has no obvious explanation, it deserves medical evaluation. A clinician may review medications and check the heart, kidneys, liver and circulation depending on the circumstances.
