Systemic causes
These include:
- congestive cardiac failure e.g. secondary to fluid overload, ischaemic heart disease
- hypoalbuminaemia e.g. liver disease, malnutrition, nephrotic syndrome
- iatrogenic lower limb swelling due to prescribed medication. There may be oedema following the use of medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, calcium-channel blockers, thiazolidinediones, corticosteroids, gabapentin, pregabalin, levodopa and oral contraceptives containing oestrogen. (1)
Reference.
- Koo LW, Reedy S, Smith JK. Patient history key to diagnosing peripheral oedema. Nurse Pract. 2010 Mar;35(3):44-52.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.