What Does Swelling In The Feet, Ankles And Legs Indicate?

Posted on Sat, 13 May 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 13 May 2017 Answered on

Fri, 2 Jun 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : My mother who is 55 years old has swollen feet ankles and legs so I was worried she might have kidney disease. I took her tests of Total Protein and RFT to check Urea ,Creatinine and uric result.
All tests came back normal so it means she doesn't have this disease but still I don't understand why she has so much swelling any ideas ?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (55 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
different possible causes

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Swelling of the feet and legs can be related to kidney disease but there are other causes as well such as: (1) heart disease- there may be history of high blood pressure or heart failure
(2)liver disease
(3)venous disease- varicose veins
(4)side effect of medication- amlodipine, a blood pressure medication can cause swelling
(5)trauma to the feet/ legs or arthritis of the joints

To find the cause, she may need to be assessed by her doctor again. This would involve a history of all related symptoms and examination of the chest, abdomen and legs

Further tests such as liver function tests, EKG at least

Treatment would depend on the cause found

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Note: For further queries related to kidney problems and comprehensive renal care, talk to a Nephrologist. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar