Lymph is a fluid that contains white blood cells, the “soldiers” of the immune system that defend the body from germs. But when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked, that liquid accumulates, generating inflammation, heaviness and pain in different soft tissues of the body.
Lymphedema is a common condition in those undergoing specific treatments for breast cancer (surgical removal of lymph nodes, radiotherapy), but this it is not the only cause what can cause it: infections; trauma, sprains, fractures; Plastic, orthopedic, gynecological or oncological surgeries can also cause it.
Within the framework of National Lymphedema Day, specialists seek to raise awareness about this condition that appears when the lymphatic vessels are not able to adequately drain the lymphatic fluid, usually from a arm or leg.
Among the symptoms that lymphedema manifests, they mention: swelling; feeling of heaviness in any of those limbs and limited range of motion; discomfort or pain; tightness, shine, warmth or redness of the skin, as well as thickening and hardening; and recurrent infections.
Arms and legs, the most frequent areas in which lymphedema manifests. Photo Shutterstock.
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Sedentary lifestyle and obesity, two aggravating factors
It is also a condition that can be aggravated by factors that are frequent in these times in which many people have not yet returned to their normal pre-pandemic life, work remotely and have not resumed their physical activity routines.
“The sedentary lifestyle associated with the home office increases the problem. weight gain that is also generated notably aggravates this condition and deteriorates the lymphatic system “, warns Mabel Bussati, specialist in Phlebology and Lymphology and honorary doctor of the Phlebology and Lymphology sector of the Hospital de Clínicas.
Lymphedema is not a mere cosmetic problem, it can affect the quality of life. Photo Shutterstock.
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Causes and treatments
In most cases, lymphedema is a disorder that appears in the form secondary to other conditions that impact on the proper functioning of the lymphatic system.
Although it usually affects the upper or lower limbs, lymphedema can also occur in the trunk, abdomen, face and / or genitals.
“Once installed, its course is slow and progressive, it is a chronic condition, which without proper treatment evolves to disabling forms and it affects the social, psychological, work and family life of those who suffer from it, “says Bussati.
In this sense, it emphasizes that it is not an aesthetic problem, but of a chronic disease that can affect the quality of life of those who suffer from it.
“There is an alteration in the self-image of patients,” he says, “who, for example, cannot dress in the same way, feel heaviness and lack of mobility. This causes a change in the rhythm of family and daily life, generating states of depression and anxiety.”
In some cases, lymphedema can even respond to hereditary factors, manifesting itself in both adult and pediatric age.
“It may be a predisposition that they brought with birth and it never became visible until a moment in life came when, either due to a certain disease or trauma such as a fall, they begin to inflame ya swell a part of the body and there we discovered that it had been brought from birth and that for a reason X the balance was broken and it began to manifest itself clinically, “explains Bussati.
Like all chronic diseases, lymphedema it has no cure, but yes treatment. The objective of the different therapies is to reduce the size of the limb and the affected tissue.
Different alternatives include medical therapy of Manual lymphatic drainage; understandings, which vary according to the stage of the disease; physical exercises to mobilize the affected areas and, in addition, pharmacological treatment, drugs that act at the microcirculation level and are essential to reduce symptoms, the specialist lists.
And in relation to the measures that collaborate with the management of the disease, he mentions: avoiding sedentary lifestyle and being overweight, massaging the legs regularly, avoid sources of heat, wear suitable clothing and comfortable heels.
All these aspects will be addressed in a webinar for patients and the community in general organized by the Argentine College of Venous and Lymphatic Surgery (CACVyL), which will be held today from 6 p.m. Registration is free and free.
