Common Questions: Edema
What is edema?
Is edema dangerous?
How do you treat edema?
What complications can edema lead to?
Common Questions: Colon and Rectal (Colorectal) Cancer
What are the early warning signs of colorectal cancer?
How long does it take for colorectal cancer to develop?
Are colon cancer, rectal cancer, and colorectal cancer all the same?
Can you die from colorectal cancer?
Next Question
Edema is the medical term for swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body’s tissue. It typically occurs in the feet, ankles, and legs, but other parts of the body can be affected. Edema can be caused by certain medications, pregnancy, infections, and many other health problems.
Most cases of colorectal cancer begin as a polyp, and it may take as long as 10 to 15 years to become cancerous. For this reason, regular screening to identify and remove polyps is the best way to prevent colon cancer.
Edema often occurs as the result of a number of underlying health issues, including congestive heart failure, kidney disease or kidney damage, chronic venous deficiency, liver cirrhosis, or severe lung conditions. Talk to your doctor if you experience swelling to help figure out the cause and what treatment is needed.
Colon cancer begins in the colon and rectal cancer begins in the rectum, but both areas are part of the digestive system. Because of this, cancers that occur in either area are sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer.
Lifestyle changes can help treat edema, including elevating the affected limb, exercise, reduced salt intake, and wearing compression socks. Severe edema can be treated with diuretics (medications that help expel excess fluid in urine). If edema is caused by an underlying health condition, long-term management should focus on treating that condition.
Blood in the stool, a change in bowel habits marked by constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, abdominal pain, bloating, and weight loss are among the early signs of colon cancer.
All Questions
If left untreated, edema can lead to increasingly painful swelling, stiffness, difficulty walking, stretched or itchy skin, skin ulcers, scarring, and decreased blood circulation.
Yes. The odds of survival are highest for colorectal cancers caught at an early stage. For example, localized colorectal cancer that has not spread outside the colon or rectum has a 90 percent five-year survival rate, while those cancers that have spread to nearby or distant organs have 75 percent and 14 percent five-year survival rates, respectively.