As COPD impairs your lungs and heart, it affects your circulation, which leads to fluid retention.
This swelling can be uncomfortable and limit your activity.
Edema is often a sign of advancing disease and is particularly prevalent in those with end-stage COPD.
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However, the correlation between swelling and the severity of COPD isn’t necessarily a strict one.
It also explains how edema is diagnosed and treated.
Symptoms of COPD-Related Swelling
Leg swelling in COPD can start gradually.
If any of these apply to you, call 911 or go to an emergency room right away.
Asymmetrical Swelling
Edema from COPD is typicallysymmetrical, affecting both legs about equally.
Rapid Progression of Swelling
Edema that rapidly gets worse can indicate a life-threatening situation.
This is a sign of severe COPD-associated right heart failure.
Certain medications, includingcorticosteroids, can lead to fluid retention, as can other health conditions beyond COPD.
In some people, weight gain may be hard to distinguish from COPD-related edema.
Diagnosis of Leg Swelling in COPD
COPD isn’t the only cause of leg and foot edema.
You should always talk to your healthcare provider about it.
Peripheral edema is usually diagnosed with noninvasive examinations.
Your healthcare provider will look to see if the skin is swollen.
They may press lightly on an area to see if it’s pitting edema.
This may include:
Treatment of Edema in COPD
COPD can’t be cured.
Neither can pulmonary hypertension or cor pulmonale.
However, medical and surgical treatments can keep these conditions from getting worse.
Fluid management is an important part of the treatment for leg edema in COPD.
It involves lifestyle strategies as well as medication.
This may make your legs, ankles, and feet swell.
The swelling is usually about the same on both sides of your body.
It may be pitting, which means pressure causes it to stay indented.
Not everyone with end-stage COPD has it, and some people have it with mild COPD.
COPD edema is usually diagnosed based on how it looks, combined with a prior diagnosis of COPD.
Tests are used to check for other possible causes, such as venous insufficiency and DVT.
Treatments for leg and foot swelling in COPD may include diuretics, salt restrictions, and regular exercise.
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