Re: Advanced Eczema , cellulitis or venous stasis ?

Hello,

What you do know for sure is that your mother has a symptom manifestation called edema. Edema is the swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess fluid. Edema can be categorized as generalized (throughout the body)or localized (specific to one area of the body). As a result of that definition, you can also make the determination that your mother has localized edema. Edema can be further identified in the following categories: cerebral edema, macular edema, pulmonary edema, and peripheral edema.

Cerebral edema = swelling of the brain
Macular edema = swelling of the eye
Pulmonary edema = swelling of the lungs
Peripheral edema = swelling of tissues (usually of the lower limbs) due to an accumulation of fluid

From the above, you can discern that your mother has peripheral edema, localized to her left leg.

In addition, edema is classified in two types: pitting edema or non-pitting edema. Pitting edema is determined when you can press the effected area (with your finger for example) and a small pit forms on the skin, which disappears within seconds. You can make that determination by conducting the test (for pitting) yourself. An identification of pitting or non-pitting edema also helps to bring you closer to pinpointing a cause.

There are several causes of peripheral edema. They are as follows:

- allergic coonditions (angioedema)
- cirrhosis (liver disease)
- congestive heart failure
- epidemic dropsy
- hydrostatic pressure of veins leading to poor reabsorption of fluid
- inflammation (active secretion of fluid into interstitial space)
- low oncotic pressure
- malnutrition
- nephrotic syndrome/renal protein loss (kidney failure)
- varicose veins
- venous obstruction (deep vein thrombosis that is typically one-sided)

What you are left to determine is your mother's most probable cause based upon the above causes. Classifying the type of edema (whether it is pitted or non-pitted) is one means that will help you in determining the most probable cause.

Can you provide a list of the medications that your mother is currently using?

From the picture, I did notice an eczema manifestation on the skin. This is understandable considering that she is wearing a compression sock which absorbs the skin's moisture and promotes the drying, eczema skin. You may want to try Burt's Bees Baby Bee moisturizing lotion as an option for moisturizing your mother's skin. This is what we used to treat my niece's severe eczema (total body) in her infancy.

aunty

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