Edema & Morning Sickness

The swelling is an accumulation of fluid in the interstitial spaces of the body. The term dropsy (as synonymous with edema) indicates the accumulation of serous fluid in a body cavity, usually the peritoneum.

Edema can affect a limited area, such as a leg , or it can be generalized, when it occurs throughout the body. In this case, before edema is clinically evident, must collect several liters of fluid, which is why the weight gain usually precedes other manifestations of edema. When edema of all parts of the body is called anasarca .

Mechanism

The generation of interstitial fluid is described by ' Starling equation, which states the relationship between osmotic pressure and hydrostatic pressure, agents with opposite directions along the walls of semi-permeable of the capillaries. The hydrostatic pressure in the healthy organism, which tends to determine the leakage from the capillaries, it is almost balanced by the osmotic pressure colloid, which is exercised in the opposite direction. The minimum leakage into the interstitial space is drained by lymphatic vessels, which put back in the venous circulation via the thoracic duct that empties into the junction between the sub clavian and internal jugular vein. When the hydrostatic pressure is no longer balanced by the pressure-colloid osmotic lymphatic obstruction occurs, increases vascular permeability and there is an accumulation of fluid in the interstices, which, if unresolved, causes edema.

Causes

Edema in a patient with liver failure chronic.

Edema can be caused by increased hydrostatic pressure (eg due to venous stasis in the case ofvaricose veins of the lower limbs), or colloid osmotic pressure reduction (for example due to any disease that results in hypoalbuminemia) significant enough not allow more than the lymphatic vessels to drain fluid that accumulates in the interstitial spaces, inflated. It can be caused by obstruction of the lymphatic vessels, which can no longer drain the interstitial fluid (lymphedema) and excessive sodium retention. In these cases, the liquid that accumulates in the interstitial spaces is called transudate as it has a lower specific gravity was 1.012 kg / m 3 , is low in protein and contains no inflammatory cells. Finally, you can have swelling in case of inflammation (inflammatory edema) because it increases vascular permeability. In this case the liquid exudate has accumulated since it has high specific gravity, greater than 1.020kg / m 3 , is rich in proteins and inflammatory cells. The swelling takes specific names if they are not involved in the interstitial spaces, but the body cavities, is thus the hydrothorax (involving the pleura), the idroperitoneo (or ascites ) or hydropericardium, if it is extended to the subcutaneous tissue of 'body is called anasarca.

Placental hormones cause various body tissues to retain fluid during pregnancy. Blood volume also greatly expands during pregnancy. The extra fluid normally causes some swelling (edema).

There is no reason to restrict salt severely or use diuretics to limit mild edema. However, the edema may limit physical activity late in pregnancy and oc¬casionally require a woman to elevate her feet to control the symptoms. Overall, edema generally spells trouble only if hypertension and the appearance of protein in the urine accompany fluid retention (see later section on pregnancy-induced hypertension).

Morning Sickness

About 50% of pregnant women experience nausea during the early stages of pregnancy. This nausea may be related to the increased sense of smell induced by pregnancy-related hormones circulating in the bloodstream. Although commonly called "morning sickness," pregnancy-related nausea may occur at any time and per¬sist all day. It is often the first signal to a woman that she is pregnant. To help control mild nausea, pregnant women can try the following: avoiding nauseating foods, such as fried or greasy foods; cooking with windows open to dissipate nauseating smells; eating soda crackers or dry cereal before getting out of bed; avoiding large fluid intakes early in the morning; and eating smaller, more frequent meals. Because the iron in prenatal supplements triggers nausea in some women, changing the type of supple¬ment used or postponing use until the second trimester may provide relief in some cases. If a woman thinks her prenatal supplement is related to morning sickness, she should discuss switching to another supplement with her physician.

Overall, whether it is broccoli or soda crackers or lemonade, if a food sounds good to a pregnant woman with morning sickness, she should eat it and eat when she can, while also striving to follow her prenatal diet. If she has a great deal of difficulty in fol¬lowing her diet, she should alert her physician to this and follow the advice given.

Usually, nausea stops after the first trimester; however, in about 10% to 20% of cases, it can continue throughout the entire pregnancy. In cases of serious nausea, the pre¬ ceding practices offer little relief. When appetite is severely reduced or vomiting per-sists, medical guidance is warranted. Hospitalization may be needed if the mother exhibits significant dehydration or weight loss.