Lower Extremity Swelling Is Often the First Sign of Heart Failure: Here's Why

Swelling in the legs and feet may develop for a number of reasons. Menstruation and pregnancy can cause temporary swelling due to fluid retention, as can overindulging in salty food. 

In some cases, however, swelling could be the first sign of a serious underlying health issue, such as congestive heart failure. 

At Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins, Enrique Hernandez, MD, provides on-site diagnostic testing and treatment for a wide range of complex cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure. Let’s learn more about heart failure and its link with lower extremity swelling.

Heart failure: What is it?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that over 6 million American adults live with heart failure. A serious medical condition with no known cure, heart failure develops when your heart can’t supply enough blood to your body due to weakness or damage. 

Existing conditions such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or high blood pressure overwork your heart, often leading to long-term heart failure. This type of heart failure may not show symptoms right away. 

Acute heart failure develops suddenly and may come from a heart attack, blood clot, or an infection or injury that damages your heart. 

Why does swelling indicate heart failure?

When your heart muscle doesn’t function properly, blood and other fluids build up and cause swelling, also known as edema, in the lower extremities, abdomen, and neck. Edema in the legs and feet is the first sign of heart failure for many people.

Other symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and an irregular or rapid pulse. If you experience any of these symptoms in combination with swollen legs or feet or are at risk for heart failure, call our office as soon as possible.

If you don’t get treatment, excess fluid can collect in your lungs and prevent your body from getting enough oxygen — a condition known as pulmonary edema, which can be a medical emergency. Contact emergency services if you experience the following symptoms:

• Severe breathing difficulties, as though you’re drowning or suffocating
• Complete inability to breathe
• Coughing up pink phlegm or blood
• Chest pain
• Rapid, irregular heartbeat
• Skin turns gray or blue

How to manage heart failure

While there’s no cure for heart failure, the right treatment can reduce your symptoms and help you live a longer and more active life. Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, increasing physical activity, and reducing your sodium intake are the first steps toward improving your cardiovascular function. 

Dr. Hernandez may prescribe medications to remove excess fluid from your body or relax your blood vessels, making it easier for your heart to pump blood effectively. A biventricular pacemaker can relieve symptoms by using electrical impulses to help both sides of your heart beat in sync.

Endovascular heart surgery may be necessary to repair damage to your heart or a congenital heart defect. In life-threatening cases of heart failure or cases that don’t respond to other treatments, you may need a heart transplant.

If you’re concerned about your heart health, interventional cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist Dr. Enrique Hernandez and the team are here for you. Call or click today to request an appointment with Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida.