Medicine:Anasarca

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Anasarca is a severe and generalized form of edema, with subcutaneous tissue swelling throughout the body.[1] Unlike typical edema, which almost everyone will experience at some time and can be relatively benign, anasarca is a pathological process reflecting a severe disease state and can involve the cavities of the body in addition to the tissues.

Signs and symptoms

Physical appearance

Can include:

Physical manifestations

Can include:

  • Impaired vision, difficulty opening eyes
  • Shortness of breath (SOB), dyspnea on exertion (DOE), orthopnea
  • Chest pain
  • Extreme discomfort
  • Debilitation

Cause

Anasarca is often caused by a decreased oncotic pressure.

Organ failure

Malignancy

Diet

Systemic manifestations of

In utero

In Hb Barts, the high oxygen affinity results in poor oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues, resulting in anasarca.[8]

Iatrogenic

It can also be caused by the administration of exogenous intravenous fluid.

Diagnosis

Anasarca is a diagnosis made clinically and differentiated from edema by extent of body involvement and severity. Whereas edema is usually graded on a mild/moderate/severe scale and usually affects one or two regions of the body, anasarca affects the several of the body and is the most severe form of edema, with subcutaneous tissue swelling from head to feet.[2]

Testing

Although there is no definitive test to prove anasarca, many tests can be useful to aid in the diagnosis. Anasarca is most often seen in conjunction with a low level of albumin.[2]

A research paper published in 2001 demonstrated a linkage between low-voltage ECG (QRS complexes of <5 mm in the limb and <10 mm in the precordial leads) and anasarca.[9]

Treatment

Diuretics

One of the mainstays of any edema treatment, diuretics are a category of medications that help the body excrete fluid by altering the way in which the kidney processes urine.[10]

Diet

The body more efficiently absorbs fluid from the gut and retains that fluid with the help of sodium and sugar.[11][12] As such, decreasing salt and simple sugar intake will help prevent the accumulation of fluid and potentiate the effect of any diuretics.

Fiber

Bulking fiber, both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, absorbs water throughout the GI tract. Viscous fiber can thicken the contents of the GI tract and slow the absorption of other compounds (like simple sugars).[13][14]

References

  1. ↑ Vinay Kumar, Abbas. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. 8th ed. p.112; Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8089-2402-9
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kattula, Sri Rama Surya Tez; Avula, Akshay; Baradhi, Krishna M. (2020), "Anasarca", StatPearls (Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing), PMID 30085555, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519013/, retrieved 2020-07-02 
  3. ↑ Hussain, Kifah; Mandras, Stacy A.; Desai, Sapna (2026), "Right Heart Failure", StatPearls (Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing), PMID 29083579, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459381/, retrieved 2026-07-18 
  4. ↑ "Anasarca: Causes, treatment, and definition" (in en). 2018-02-13. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320906. 
  5. ↑ "Nephrotic syndrome - Symptoms and causes" (in en). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nephrotic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20375608. 
  6. ↑ Yasuda, Jessica Lacy; Rufo, Paul A. (2018-02-26). "Protein-Losing Enteropathy in the Setting of Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia". Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports 6. doi:10.1177/2324709618760078. ISSN 2324-7096. PMID 29511696. 
  7. ↑ Mehta, Ankita; Shah, Mansi (2016). "Case Report: Uncontrolled Anasarca: CapillaryLeak Syndrome". The Medicine Forum. The Medicine Forum: Vol. 17, Article 8 17 (1). doi:10.29046/TMF.017.1.009. https://jdc.jefferson.edu/tmf/vol17/iss1/8/. Retrieved 7 July 2020. 
  8. ↑ "Hemoglobin Bart hydrops syndrome - NIH Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) - NCBI". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/conditions/C0272005/. 
  9. ↑ Madias, JE; Bazaz, R; Agarwal, H; Win, M; Medepalli, L (September 2001). "Anasarca-mediated attenuation of the amplitude of electrocardiogram complexes: a description of a heretofore unrecognized phenomenon.". Journal of the American College of Cardiology 38 (3): 756–64. doi:10.1016/s0735-1097(01)01429-2. PMID 11527629.  Measurement of voltages in millimetres (mm) is a clinical usage based on the standard ECG format.
  10. ↑ Morrison, Robert T. (1997-05-01). "Edema and Principles of Diuretic Use". Medical Clinics of North America 81 (3): 689–704. doi:10.1016/S0025-7125(05)70540-X. ISSN 0025-7125. PMID 9167652. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002571250570540X. 
  11. ↑ Whyte, L.A.; Jenkins, H.R. (October 2012). "Pathophysiology of diarrhoea". Paediatrics and Child Health 22 (10): 443–447. doi:10.1016/j.paed.2012.05.006. ISSN 1751-7222. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S175172221200087X. 
  12. ↑ Kang, G. (2016-01-01), "Chapter 1.4 - Therapy of Viral Gastroenteritis", in Svensson, Lennart; Desselberger, Ulrich; Greenberg, Harry B. et al., Viral Gastroenteritis, Boston: Academic Press, pp. 73–88, doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-802241-2.00004-3, ISBN 978-0-12-802241-2, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128022412000043, retrieved 2026-07-18 
  13. ↑ Giuntini, Eliana Bistriche; Fabiana Andrea Hoffmann Sardá; Elizabete Wenzel de Menezes (2022-12-06). "The Effects of Soluble Dietary Fibers on Glycemic Response: An Overview and Futures Perspectives" (in en). Foods 11 (23): 3934. doi:10.3390/foods11233934. ISSN 2304-8158. PMID 36496742. 
  14. ↑ Jenkins, David J.A.; Marchie, Augustine; Augustin, Livia S.A.; Ros, Emilio; Kendall, Cyril W.C. (2004). "Viscous dietary fibre and metabolic effects" (in en-US). Clinical Nutrition Supplements 1 (2): 39–49. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2004.09.007. ISSN 1744-1161. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744116104000250. 
Classification
External resources

Template:Disorders of volume state



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