Lymphoedema
Overview
Lymphoedema is a long-term (chronic) condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs.
Symptoms
The main symptom of lymphoedema is swelling in all or part of a limb or another part of the body. It can be difficult to fit into clothes, and jewellery and watches can feel tight. At first, the swelling may be soft and easy to push in, leaving a dent, and may come and go. It may get worse during the day and go down overnight. Without treatment, it will usually become more severe and persistent. Other symptoms in an affected body part can include: an aching, heavy feelingdifficulty with movementrepeated skin infectionsdeveloping hard, tight or thickened skinfolds developing in the skinwart-like growths developing on the skinfluid leaking through the skin Signs of lymphoedema in the head and neck may include swelling or heaviness in the face, mouth or throat, and problems with swallowing and speech.
Causes
Lymphoedema is caused by a problem with the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body. The main functions of the lymphatic system are helping fight infection and draining excess fluid from tissues. There are 2 main types of lymphoedema: primary lymphoedema – caused by faulty genes that affect the development of the lymphatic system; it can develop at any age, but usually starts during infancy, adolescence, or early adulthoodsecondary lymphoedema – caused by damage to the lymphatic system or problems with the movement and drainage of fluid in the lymphatic system; it can be the result of a cancer treatment, an infection, injury, inflammation of the limb, or a lack of limb movement Read more about the causes of lymphoedema