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What Type Of Blood Test Do I Need To Find The Cause Of Swelling And Pain In The Feet And Ankles?
Question: hello Dr. Rynne, I'm 56 years of age 180 pounds who is in fairly good XXXXXXX but my main concern is in the last month or so I have this problem of both feet and ankles swelling but I'm not in any foot pain, just swelling. I have a fairly good diet with a lot of fruits, vegetables, and I drink of water, can you give me your medical advice or solution to bring and keep my feet and ankles from swelling or what type of blood test I may need to find out the cause?
Brief Answer:
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Swelling of the feet can be due to different possible causes such as-(1) venous disease--- there are 2 types of veins in the legs, superficial veins that are just under the skin and deep veins.
Blood goes from the superficial to the deep then back to the heart. There are valves in the veins to stop the blood from going in the wrong directions.
With ageing or if there is a history of a previous clot or a history of standing for long periods of time- the valves may not work as they should and blood collects in the legs.
Varicose veins can sometimes be seen
(2) heart disease- heart failure is also a cause of swelling, there is usually a previous history of heart disease or high blood pressure that has not been controlled
(3)side effect of medication eg a blood pressure medication called amlodipine
(4) liver or kidney disease can also cause this problem
(5) arthritis but this would normally be associated with pain and you mentioned that you are not experiencing pain
(6)infection
Blood tests to check liver and kidney function and a complete blood count to check for infection, can be done.
If there is no history of heart disease or uncontrolled high blood pressure then this may not need assessment but if there is , you may need an ECG or/and echo to look at heart function.
If these are normal then it may be related to venous disease. Treatment would be elevation of the legs whenever possible to allow the blood to get back up and compression stockings designed for venous disease
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Swelling of the feet can be due to different possible causes such as-(1) venous disease--- there are 2 types of veins in the legs, superficial veins that are just under the skin and deep veins.
Blood goes from the superficial to the deep then back to the heart. There are valves in the veins to stop the blood from going in the wrong directions.
With ageing or if there is a history of a previous clot or a history of standing for long periods of time- the valves may not work as they should and blood collects in the legs.
Varicose veins can sometimes be seen
(2) heart disease- heart failure is also a cause of swelling, there is usually a previous history of heart disease or high blood pressure that has not been controlled
(3)side effect of medication eg a blood pressure medication called amlodipine
(4) liver or kidney disease can also cause this problem
(5) arthritis but this would normally be associated with pain and you mentioned that you are not experiencing pain
(6)infection
Blood tests to check liver and kidney function and a complete blood count to check for infection, can be done.
If there is no history of heart disease or uncontrolled high blood pressure then this may not need assessment but if there is , you may need an ECG or/and echo to look at heart function.
If these are normal then it may be related to venous disease. Treatment would be elevation of the legs whenever possible to allow the blood to get back up and compression stockings designed for venous disease
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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