how do physicians treat lymphedema?

Question

Should I go to a general doctor if I think I have lymphedema?

Answer 1

Compression: It is treated with a pump, compression with support hose. Internist may try water pills with some effect. I have found enzymes helpful in realist cases such as bromelain, a pineapple enzyme 3-6 a da in divided doses 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals.

Answer 2

Many ways, none of: Of which work very well: compression garments, elevation, massage & if those alone don't help, sequential compression device that milks fluid towards the heart. Various surgeries have had limited success. A radical procedure procedure-sistrunk- removes 50% of the circumference of subcu fat, where the excess fluid "lives", in 2 stages.

Answer 3

Decongestion: The mainstay is decongestive therapy. This includes wearing elastic compression stockings, using non-elastic circ-aid garments, sequential compression devices, lymphatic drainage/massage, diet and exercise. Going to a lymphedema clinic is helpful if you have one close. A great source of info is www.Lymphnet.Org.

Answer 4

No: It can occur after surgery which affects the lymph nodes in a arm or leg. It is more common bilaterally in older women. It is seen in overweight inscribe people. Movement is important to cause the muscles to move the fluid out of the legs.

Answer 5

Depends: Lymphedema of an arm after breast cancer surgery and/or radiation can be fairly common. It can also occur after vein stripping surgery and other peripheral vascular surgical procedures. However, under most other circumstances lymphedema is actually quite uncommon. Lymphedema can also be primary, meaning we can't identify the cause. Most of the time, this occurs in women under the age of 35.

Answer 6

Can be confused.....: With chronic venous insufficiency. In cvi, there is failure of the calf-pump system in which the calf doesn't compress the deep veins in the lower leg, causing swelling. In lymphedema, there is actual failure of the lymphatic vessels to appropriately drain fluid off the system, causing pitting edema. In most cases, patients sometimes have both.

Answer 7

Not uncommon: It occurs commonly after breast cancer surgery and it is the most common cause of leg swelling , if it is combined with veno- lymphedema .[ that is lymphedema caused by venous insufficiency.].

Answer 8

Rarely: It is impossible to give a specific answer. It would depend on what other conditions coexist with the lymphedema. Severe lymphedema could coexist with cardiovascular disease, diabetes etc. In severe caeses, ulceration , infection can occur and lymphedema can become permanent.

Answer 9

Not directly: Often times very careful skin care is necessary for sufferers of lymphedema. If skin breaks open and becomes infected badly enough, a blood borne infection could develop. It is a bit of a stretch but, in that case the situation could conceivably become fatal.

Answer 10

Minimal association: Lymphedema is when there is compromise of the lymphatic circulation. This third circulation (arteries, veins) carries things too thick to be safely carried in arteries and veins like bacteria eaten by white cells and digested food. It's pushed along by normal body movements. It increases risk of infections and reduces mobility which contribute to overall risk of death but by itself, not really.

Answer 11

Yes: Doctors often use specially constructed, restrictive, very tight clothing to treat lymphedema of the legs or arms. This is a common treatment for this condition.

Answer 12

How restrictive?: If by restrictive clothing you mean compression sleeves and stockings, yes. If you just mean a tight pair of pants or a tight shirt, no.

Answer 13

Clothing: A compression stocking is the key Restrictive closing not helpful and probably bad for the condition

Answer 14

LymphaticObstruction: The most common cause of lymphedema is removal of lymph nodes (lns) as part of breast cancer surgery. When combined with radiation therapy, lymphedema may develop in as many as 25% of patients. Over the past decade, a less invasive technique for ln evaluation, called sentinel ln biopsy, has reduced this rate down to less than 5%.

Answer 15

Primary vs secondary: As dr. Rosen said, the major cause of lymphedema is lymphatic obstruction. This is most commonly due to cancer and its treatment: surgery and/or radiation. This is secondary lymphedema because there is an identifiable cause. The other type of lymphedema is primary. This means that there is no cause we can identify and is usually because part of your lymph drainage system doesn't form or fails.

Answer 16

Simple anatomy: Lymphedema occurs when there is a compromise of the lymphatic circulation. This third circulation (arteries, veins) carries things too thick to be safely carried in arteries and veins like bacteria eaten by white cells and digested food. It is propelled along by normal body movements but contains a thick material called lymph. Blockage causes it to back up causing soft tissues/skin deformity.

Answer 17

Wuchereria Bancrofti: Wuchereria bancrofti is the parasite which causes filariasis, which is the most common cause of lymphedema worldwide. The disease originates in mosquitoes which transfer the parasites to humans, leading to blockage of the lymphatic system. It is commonly found in the tropics and sub-tropics of africa, asia, the western pacific, and parts of central and south america.

Answer 18

Filaria: Lymphatic filariasis is caused by the worms wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi, and brugia timori. Subcutaneous filariasis is caused by loa loa (the eye worm), mansonella streptocerca, and onchocerca volvulus. Serous cavity filariasis is caused by the worms mansonella perstans and mansonella ozzardi, which occupy the serous cavity of the abdomen.

how do physicians treat lymphedema?

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