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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Edema

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ɪˈdiːmə/nounCommon term

In medicine, edema means: Swelling caused by too much fluid in the body's tissues, most often seen in the ankles and legs.

In Turkish: ödem, şişlik

How it is used

Doctors check whether it is 'pitting' (a dent stays after pressing) and how far up the legs it goes. It is linked with heart failure, kidney and liver disease and some drugs. Pulmonary edema means fluid in the lungs. Patients usually say 'swollen ankles'.

Example sentences

  1. There is pitting edema up to both knees.

  2. The chest X-ray shows pulmonary oedema.

Common collocations

  • pitting edema
  • ankle edema
  • pulmonary edema
  • peripheral edema
  • swellingAn increase in the size of a body part, usually caused by fluid, inflammation or injury, such as swollen ankles or a swollen joint.
  • heart failureA long-term condition in which the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should, often causing breathlessness, tiredness and swollen ankles.
  • chronic kidney diseaseLong-term loss of kidney function, lasting at least three months, which usually gets worse slowly over years.
  • deep vein thrombosisA blood clot in one of the deep veins, usually in the leg, that can cause pain and swelling and may travel to the lungs.

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.