What's wrong with swollen calves and ankles

Calf swelling is a common phenomenon, and there are many reasons for this symptom. According to the cause, calf edema can be divided into cardiogenic edema, renal edema, hepatic edema and drug-induced leg swelling. According to the different reasons for calf edema, patients need to take different treatments to eradicate this symptom. Below we will introduce to you the causes of swollen calves in detail!

1. Cardiogenic edema

Heart failure and leg phlebitis are the two main causes of chronic (long-term) leg swelling. According to clinical practice, phlebitis will only cause swelling of the patient's legs, while heart failure causing congestion will cause swelling of both legs; phlebitis will cause pain, while swelling caused by heart failure will not be painful; various diseases that cause leg swelling have their own different pathogenesis and characteristics.

Diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, viral infection or heart valve disease make the myocardium weak and powerless. The heart cannot deliver blood to the lungs smoothly, and the blood begins to flow back into the veins. Then it converges into the organ located under the heart - the liver, causing the liver to become congested and swollen. If the condition does not improve, blood may eventually back up into the leg veins and cause leg swelling.

2. Nephrogenic edema

People with severe kidney disease will experience swelling all over the body, including the legs, face, and fingers. The reason for the systemic swelling is that too much protein is lost in the urine.

3. Hepatic edema

In later stages of more severe liver disease, leg swelling can occur by two mechanisms. One is that liver cells are damaged and cannot produce enough protein, resulting in the same result as the loss of protein caused by kidney disease; in order to balance the protein content in the blood vessels and the tissues around the blood vessels, fluid in the blood will flow into the tissues and cause tissue swelling. Another possibility is scarring of the liver, which prevents blood flowing from the legs to the heart from passing through the liver, causing blood reflux. Additionally, enlarged glands or tumors in the abdominal cavity may compress veins and cause leg swelling.

4. Medication-induced leg swelling

Testosterone (most commonly used to treat impotence); long-term use of steroids (for arthritis, asthma, cancer, etc.); estrogen; oral contraceptives; certain antidepressants (Nardil sulfate); the blood pressure lowering drug, methyldopa (Aldomet); and the recently invented calcium ion blockers for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, etc.