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My Ankles And Feet Swell During Tne Day And They
Posted on
Tue, 16 Jul 2019
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 16 Jul 2019
Answered on
Last reviewed on
Question : My ankles and feet swell during tne day and they go down at night. The left ankle remains swollen on the left side. (There is a plate in it from prior surgery.)That just started about 2 weeks ago.). I am a 68 year old, African-American female, who is overweight (230 lbs) and 5’2”. I have high blood pressure and cholesterol. I take Bystolic, Hydralazine and Lipitor. Am I developing congestive heart failure? Can it be reversed?
Brief Answer:
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Heart failure is one cause of swelling of the ankles and other aspects of the lower limb but it is also commonly associated with other symptoms such as shortness of breath on activity which worsens as the heart failure progresses eg a person may have shortness of breath initially on walking 1 km or only on stairs and distance becomes shorter etc
There may also be coughing at night because fluid accumulates in the lungs and this presents more at night on laying down. A person may not be able to lay flat and need more and more propping up.
In addition, they may wake up suddenly at night short of breath (this can also occur in obstructive sleep apnea)
Other causes of swelling of the ankles that improve with elevation of the feet (whether at night or during the day): (1) venous disease- varicose veins, though sometimes very small. Venous disease can occur with overweight persons because of the pressure on the veins.
It can also occur in persons who have a history of prolonged standing during the day.
Elevating the feet during the day when possible and the use of compression stockings would help with this.
(2)liver disease, kidney disease- routine annual blood tests would determine if there are any issues with these organs
(3)side effect of some medications eg hormonal medications, NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen etc), ]
(4) excess heat- hot environments promote swelling
If you have other symptoms of heart disease or remain concerned, then you should definitely be assessed by an EKG and echo.
In terms of reversal, very minor reversal of heart failure can occur but the main focus is on control and preventing progression by controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol.
You can consider visiting your doctor to determine the reason for the swelling.
Venous disease is the one of the most common reasons
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Heart failure is one cause of swelling of the ankles and other aspects of the lower limb but it is also commonly associated with other symptoms such as shortness of breath on activity which worsens as the heart failure progresses eg a person may have shortness of breath initially on walking 1 km or only on stairs and distance becomes shorter etc
There may also be coughing at night because fluid accumulates in the lungs and this presents more at night on laying down. A person may not be able to lay flat and need more and more propping up.
In addition, they may wake up suddenly at night short of breath (this can also occur in obstructive sleep apnea)
Other causes of swelling of the ankles that improve with elevation of the feet (whether at night or during the day): (1) venous disease- varicose veins, though sometimes very small. Venous disease can occur with overweight persons because of the pressure on the veins.
It can also occur in persons who have a history of prolonged standing during the day.
Elevating the feet during the day when possible and the use of compression stockings would help with this.
(2)liver disease, kidney disease- routine annual blood tests would determine if there are any issues with these organs
(3)side effect of some medications eg hormonal medications, NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen etc), ]
(4) excess heat- hot environments promote swelling
If you have other symptoms of heart disease or remain concerned, then you should definitely be assessed by an EKG and echo.
In terms of reversal, very minor reversal of heart failure can occur but the main focus is on control and preventing progression by controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol.
You can consider visiting your doctor to determine the reason for the swelling.
Venous disease is the one of the most common reasons
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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