SWOLLEN LEGS HINT AT HEART DISEASE

People confront several health issues once they reach middle age and swelling of legs is one among them. People tend to ignore it as it does not cause much pain or affect the health. However, at times, we do hear that people witnessing swelling of their legs were diagnosed with kidney or heart problems. Do swelling of legs and heart diseases have any connection? Can early detection help in efficient treatment of the disease?
Swelling of legs is a main symptom for heart disease. If it is due to heart disease, then swelling will occur on both the legs. In the early stages, there will be swelling at the toes and heel. At a later stage, it will spread above the foot. There will be no pain associated with this swelling and so the patient would hardly think of visiting the doctor.
However, once the patient finds that walking and breathing are a problem due to this swelling, then he/she would visit the doctor. Now, let us try to understand how to recognise if the swelling in the leg is associated with heart disease even before the patient gets affected with breathlessness, palpitation and pain in the chest.
Dr C. Raghu, interventional cardiologist, Aster Prime Hospitals, Hyderabad, says if the swelling is due to heart disease, the patient should take diuretics, medicines which will help in draining the excessive water. The diuretics will benefit the patient only if he is suffering from heart ailment. Else, they may prove harmful. At the same time, using diuretics when the patient is associated with some other disease than that of the heart will also prevent diagnosing the real cause of the swelling in the leg.
Lack of efficiency of veins:
Blood vessels carrying blood from the leg to the heart are called veins. Whenever there is a bodily function happening, some toxins are released into the body. Blood mixed with such toxins is deoxygenated blood. This blood gets purified in the lungs and then the heart distributes the same to various organs.
In case, the blood vessels supplying the oxygenated blood to the legs are not efficient, then the water in the blood gets blocked in them manifesting in the form of swelling. This disease appears to be more prominent when the individual becomes aged. That apart, swelling appears mostly among those involved in work in a standing posture and in case of people who are obese.
In the initial stages, it gets exhibited when a person travels for a long time, especially in the evening. Those suffering with this disease tend to have pain in the calf and also feel that their leg is very heavy, says Dr Raghu.
As time passes by, some blemishes occur on the leg and on the inner side of the heel. The patient can also observe that the veins appear twisted in blue/black colour underneath the skin. These are called varicose veins. This condition which appears among the patients in the evenings initially, later on, sustains all through the day.
If the patient sees such a condition, the patient should not stand for a long time and also try to wear elastic stockings to prevent swelling of legs. This will help in restoring the normal flow of the blood in the veins.
Further, Dr Raghu says to prevent the disease from becoming serious, it is necessary that the patient identify it at an early stage, consult a doctor and get the Venus Doppler test done.For further details contact-9848155650
Rise in blood pressure also another major reason for swelling in legs. At times, the medicines an individual uses for high BP and diabetes also cause swelling in legs.
Book Appointment: Dr C. Raghu, interventional cardiologist, Aster Prime Hospitals, Hyderabad