Cardiac edema
This kind of swelling is usually seen among patients with congestive heart failure, in which blood volume decrease relatively. Accordingly, less urine is produced and more sodium as well as water deposit in body, causing swellings. Cardiac edema usually occurs the lower parts of body such as ankles and legs, but it can be systemic and even hydrothorax and ascites. In clinic, some medicines are used to enhance the contraction of myocardium and improve blood circulation, bringing sodium out. At the same time, diuretics are adopted to drain out more water, easing swellings or edema, such as Hyzaar, Triamterene and Furosemide.What Are the Symptoms of ADPKD
Hepatic edema
Patients with Cirrhosis are hard to produce protein which plays an important role in keeping normal plasma osmotic pressure. Less protein decreases plasma osmotic pressure but pressure increases in Portal vein, which keep more fluid in tissues and cause edema or swellings. What’s worse, liver fails in inactivating aldosterone which can promote kidneys to reabsorb sodium and water. Those two reasons are responsible for swellings. Spironolactone, Ethacrynic acid and Furosemide are usually adopted in easing this kind of swellings, but they may cause high blood potassium as well as electrolyte disturbance and even coma. Thus the patients would better not lose weight more than 2kg in using diuretics every week.Is Drinking Orange Juice Daily Bad for PKD
Renal swellings
Renal swellings result from the damaged kidneys failing in holding protein and filtrating out excess water and sodium. Without diuretics, swellings in Acute Nephritis can disappear in a short time, if patients have lower sodium intake and have good rest. As for Chronic Nephritis, Triamterene is used with Hyzaar, which not only enhance diuretic effects but also reduce the side effect of electrolyte disturbance. When no diuretics can ease severe swellings, the injection of albumin will elevate plasma oncotic pressure and increase blood volume, improving swellings.
