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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling And Tingling In Legs?

my legs continue to swell even if I have them elevated they have a tingling numbing pain from the ankle to the knee almost continuously and now they both have a purple ring around my ankles. Also no matter what I put on my feet for dryness, I can never stop them from itching and burning .
Thu, 14 Jul 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello.

You seem to have symptoms suggestive of neuropathy of the peripheral nerves.

There are many causes for the same, somr totally reversible and some which can be controlled adequately. For example -

1. Diabetes - very common cause. Can be ruled out by checking your sugars and HbA1c.

2. Hypothyroidism - please check your TSH and free T4 levels to rule this out.

3. Alcohol intake - more than advisable, can itself cause peripheral neuropathy.

4. Nutritional deficiency - of vit. B12, foloc acid, thiamine, niacin, etc. B12 deficiency is more likely in vegetarians.

5. Other causes like connective tissue disorders, HIV infection, leprosy, lead poisoning, etc. might have to be ruled out if the above common causes are negative.

6. Another cause which I think needs to be ruled out is peripheral vascular disease - decrease in the blood supply to the ends of the limbs because of narrowing of the arteries. Higher possibility in case of smokers. This can be ruled out with a Doppler scan of the lower limb vessels.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Dr Geeta


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What Causes Swelling And Tingling In Legs?

Hello. You seem to have symptoms suggestive of neuropathy of the peripheral nerves. There are many causes for the same, somr totally reversible and some which can be controlled adequately. For example - 1. Diabetes - very common cause. Can be ruled out by checking your sugars and HbA1c. 2. Hypothyroidism - please check your TSH and free T4 levels to rule this out. 3. Alcohol intake - more than advisable, can itself cause peripheral neuropathy. 4. Nutritional deficiency - of vit. B12, foloc acid, thiamine, niacin, etc. B12 deficiency is more likely in vegetarians. 5. Other causes like connective tissue disorders, HIV infection, leprosy, lead poisoning, etc. might have to be ruled out if the above common causes are negative. 6. Another cause which I think needs to be ruled out is peripheral vascular disease - decrease in the blood supply to the ends of the limbs because of narrowing of the arteries. Higher possibility in case of smokers. This can be ruled out with a Doppler scan of the lower limb vessels. Hope this helps. Regards, Dr Geeta