- Edema
- The swelling of soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation. Edema is often more prominent in the lower legs and feet toward the end of the day as a result of pooling of fluid from the upright position maintained during the day. Upon awakening from sleeping, patients can have swelling around
* * *An accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells or intercellular tissues. [G. oidema, a swelling]- ambulant e. e. forming during periods of walking with the legs dependent.- angioneurotic e. SYN: angioedema.- brawny e. SYN: nonpitting e..- bullous e. a reddened, swollen appearance of the ureteral orifice in the bladder wall, frequently observed with distal ureteral calculi or in tuberculosis of the ureter.- bullous e. vesicae a prominent area of focal e. involving the bladder epithelium, consisting of elevated masses of edematous tissue or clusters of clear fluid-filled vesicles; often associated with chronic inflammation or irritation secondary to tubes, foreign bodies, or perivesical inflammation.- cachectic e. e. occurring in diseases characterized by wasting and hypoproteinemia; due to low plasma oncotic pressure. SYN: marantic e..- cerebral e. brain swelling due to increased volume of the extravascular compartment from the uptake of water in the neuropile and white matter. SEE ALSO: brain swelling. SYN: brain e..- cystoid macular e. e. of the posterior pole of the eye secondary to abnormal permeability of capillaries of the central sensory retina.- dependent e. a clinically detectable increase in extracellular fluid volume localized in a dependent area, as of a limb, characterized by swelling or pitting.- gestational e. occurrence of a generalized and excessive accumulation of fluid in the tissues of greater than 1+ pitting after 12 hours' bed rest, or of a weight gain of 5 pounds or more in 1 week due to the influence of pregnancy.- e. glottidis e. of the larynx.- hereditary angioneurotic e. (HANE) [MIM*106100] a relatively rare form of e. characterized by onset, usually in adolescence, of erythema followed by e., involving the upper respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts, associated with either a deficiency of C1 esterase inhibitor or a functionally inactive form of the inhibitor. There are two clinically indistinguishable forms: type I, in which the serum level of C1 esterase inhibitor is low (up to 30% of normal) and type II, in which the level is normal or elevated. There is uncontrolled activation of early complement components and production of a kininlike factor that induces the angioedema; death may occur from upper respiratory tract e. and asphyxia. Inheritance is autosomal dominant, caused by mutation in the C1-esterase inhibitor gene (C1NH) on chromosome 11q.- infantile acute hemorrhagic e. of the skin a generally benign form of cutaneous vasculitis, characterized by ecchymotic purpura, often in a cockade pattern, and inflammatory e. in infants.- inflammatory e. a swelling due to effusion of fluid in the soft parts surrounding a focus of inflammation.- menstrual e. retention of water and increase in weight, which occurs during or preceding menstruation.- e. neonatorum a diffuse, firm, and commonly fatal e. occurring in the newborn, usually beginning in the legs and spreading upward.- noninflammatory e. e. due to mechanical or other causes, not marked by inflammation or congestion.- nonpitting e. swelling of subcutaneous tissues which cannot be indented easily by compression. Usually due to metabolic abnormality, such as increased glycosaminoglycan content, like that which occurs in Graves disease (pretibial myxedema) or in early phase of scleroderma. SYN: brawny e..- nutritional e. a form of swelling caused by insufficient protein intake resulting in hypoproteinemia and low plasma oncotic pressure.- periodic e. SYN: angioedema.- premenstrual e. menstrual e..- Yangtze e. SYN: gnathostomiasis.
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ede·ma or chiefly Brit oe·de·ma i-'dē-mə n, pl -mas also -ma·ta -mət-ə an abnormal excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or in a serous cavity called also dropsy* * *
ede·ma (ə-deґmə) [Gr. oidēma swelling] the presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body, usually referring to subcutaneous tissues. It may be localized (such as from venous obstruction, lymphatic obstruction, or increased vascular permeability) or systemic (such as from heart failure or renal disease). Edema is sometimes designated according to the site: ascites (peritoneal cavity), hydrothorax (pleural cavity), or hydropericardium (pericardial sac). Massive generalized edema is called anasarca. Called also dropsy and hydrops. edematous adj
Medical dictionary. 2011.
