Edema refers to fluid retention such as that in the lower legs that causes swelling, but can this be the ONLY symptom of congestive heart failure?
Can a person feel and function just fine otherwise, despite the puffy lower legs and ankles from the congestive heart failure’s edema?
Congestive heart failure can cause numerous symptoms, including the fluid retention of edema.
Sometimes, this backed-up fluid goes higher than knee level, affecting the upper legs and even the groin area.
“Congestive heart failure can just cause edema and no other symptoms if it is due to purely right [heart] sided failure,” says Dr. Sameer Sayeed, a cardiologist at ColumbiaDoctors of Somers, NY.
“But this is rarer, as right sided failure is usually caused by left heart failure which would cause dyspnea.”
The “failure” refers to the heart’s right or left ventricles failing to perform efficiently. And dyspnea means shortness of breath.
In heart failure, the pumping action of this organ is either inadequate, and/or the heart’s chambers don’t refill with as much blood as they should prior to each beat.
The end result is an insufficient supply of oxygenated blood circulating throughout the body.
So what this all means is that many more times than not, a patient will have, in addition to edema from the congestive heart failure, a problem with shortness of breath or getting out of breath fairly easily.
For example, activities that historically did not leave the patient breathing hard, now leave him or her winded, such as walking up a flight of stairs, walking quickly on an inclined parking lot, doing housework or lightly playing with the grandkids in the backyard.
They will fatigue more quickly from day-to-day activities that had never tired them out before.
When the excess fluid is in the groin area, it can impose upon the bladder, reducing urine output. This fluid would be visible on a CT scan.
Other Symptoms of Heart Failure
In addition to edema and shortness of breath, CHF can cause nausea, appetite suppression, a cough with white or pinkish phlegm, and chest pain.
Consult with your cardiologist if you have any concerning symptoms including new-onset ankle or lower leg swelling in BOTH legs, which could signal congestive heart failure.
If you have new-onset swelling in only one leg, particularly the lower leg, this could be a deep vein thrombosis.
This needs immediate attention, as this blood clot could detach and very quickly travel to the lungs and be life threatening.
