When to See a Doctor for Swelling in the Arms or Legs

The AHA! Team — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:27:50 +0000

Morgan deBlecourt via Duke Health – While minor swelling is common and not usually a cause for concern, swelling that is excessive, unexplained, or long-lasting may be a sign of a medical problem. Knowing when to seek care is important, since some causes of swelling can be medical emergencies. Here, Duke vascular expert Dan Geersen, PA-C, MPAP, talks about the different types of swelling and explains which symptoms are red flags. Causes of Swelling in the Arms and Legs According to Geersen, swelling can be caused by a range of conditions, from bug bites to bruises. After an injury, your body sends fluid to the affected area to help it heal. As the injury heals, excess fluid drains away and the swelling goes down. In some cases, however, your body may not be able to adequately circulate fluid, especially in areas that are farthest from your heart, like your arms, hands, legs, and feet. This type of swelling is called peripheral edema, and it can signal more dangerous issues, including: Blood clots that can travel to your heart, lungs, or brain Heart disease and heart failure Infection Kidney damage or disease Liver disease Lymphedema Severe allergic reactions Venous disease When to Seek Care for Swelling You should seek emergency care if you have sudden, unexplained swelling in just one limb or if it occurs along with chest pain, trouble breathing, coughing up blood, fever, or skin that is red and warm to the touch. These can be symptoms of dangerous conditions like deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the leg), pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs), or cellulitis (a skin infection). If you experience swelling that does not go away on its own, make an appointment to see your primary doctor. If the issue doesn’t improve, ask your doctor for a referral to a vascular specialist. Duke offers a special Limb Swelling Clinic for just these kinds of issues. “If you have any kind of unexplained swelling, we want you to come in,” Geersen said. “We’ll do the proper work-up to make sure you get the help you need.” To read the original article click here.

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Researchers Identify, Test Novel Drug That May Stop Heart Failure Progression

AHA Publisher — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 07:00:10 +0000

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center via Newswise – COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have developed a novel drug molecule that targets T-cells causing inflammation in heart failure patients, stopping further progression of the disease. During heart failure, T-cells, which are part of the immune system, go from protecting the body from infection to causing heart failure to progress. In a study of heart failure mice, Ohio State University researchers found these “bad” T-cells have increased levels of a protein called estrogen receptor alpha. With the help of the Drug Development Institute, which is part of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, researchers identified and tested a new drug molecule that activates estrogen receptor beta, which is known to have an opposite effect of estrogen receptor alpha. The novel treatment stopped progression of heart failure. Research results were published today in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Heart Failure. “This is a major finding since we have not had a new drug developed for heart failure in the last several years. We know inflammation plays an important role in worsening symptoms of heart failure, but we have not been able to identify suitable treatments that can target ‘bad’ inflammation without affecting ‘good’ inflammation. With this drug, we can selectively target ‘bad’ T-cells and stop the disease from getting worse,” said Shyam S. Bansal, an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and an investigator at the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. Heart failure causes chronic inflammation and affects about 6 million Americans with many needing a heart transplant, according to the American Heart Association. The two most common causes are high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. “Currently there is no treatment that can stop progression of heart failure. About half of patients die within the first five years of their diagnosis. This novel treatment addresses one of the underlying mechanisms of the disease. With this drug, we may be able to significantly improve the lifespan of patients, and if we stop the disease at an early stage, patients may not even need a heart transplant,” Bansal said. Ohio State University has patented the drug molecule, OSU-ERb-012. Future research plans are to determine the effectiveness of the drug in other animal trials, identify the lowest therapeutic dose and eventually conduct clinical trials in human heart failure patients. The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Ohio State’s Drug Development Institute. The studies were mostly conducted by Rachel Rosenzweig and Vinay Kumar under the supervision of Bansal. To read the original article click here.

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When to See a Doctor for Swelling in the Arms or Legs

Researchers Identify, Test Novel Drug That May Stop Heart Failure Progression