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

Most people think heart disease only produces symptoms you can feel in or near your heart, but that’s not the case. In fact, leg swelling (or edema) is often an early sign of heart failure, and it can also help determine if existing heart failure is getting worse.

Edema is the medical word for swelling that happens when fluids get trapped in your tissues. Edema can have lots of causes, including allergies, insect bites, some medications, and even pregnancy. 

These types of swelling are temporary and resolve fairly quickly with prompt treatment.

But edema can also be associated with underlying diseases, like kidney disease, liver disease, or heart failure. This type of edema typically shows up in your lower legs and feet, but it can also happen in your hands, face, or belly.

At Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute, our team evaluates leg swelling to determine if it’s related to a heart problem or if it might be associated with another underlying cause. Here, learn why heart failure causes edema and what we can do to help.

The basics of heart failure

Your heart pumps from left to right: Oxygen-depleted blood from the rest of the body moves into the right side of the heart, which in turn sends blood to the lungs, where oxygen is replenished. The oxygen-rich blood is pumped back into the left side of the heart before being pumped out and returned to circulation.

Heart failure happens when your heart isn’t able to pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. Your heart may be too weak to pump blood adequately or it may be too stiff, preventing the heart from filling with blood. 

Heart failure can be either left-sided or right-sided, depending on the side of the heart that’s affected. Left-sided heart failure is the most common type.

Left-sided heart failure

The left ventricle is the largest of your heart’s four chambers. It provides most of the pumping power that’s necessary for normal circulation. 

In left-sided heart failure, the left ventricle is too weak or too stiff to function the way it’s supposed to, which means each pump or beat of your heart pushes less blood out into your body.

Right-sided heart failure

Right-sided heart failure usually occurs as a result of left-sided heart failure. When your heart doesn’t pump blood out the way it’s supposed to, the extra blood backs up. The increases in volume and pressure in turn damage the right side of the heart. 

How heart failure causes edema

Heart failure can cause edema in different ways.

Decreased kidney function

Heart failure reduces blood flow to your organs, including your kidneys. Reduced blood flow makes it harder for your kidneys to filter out excess fluids, leaving them to accumulate in your tissues — particularly in your lower legs, feet, and ankles.

Blood vessel leakage

When blood flow slows, blood backs up inside your blood vessels, increasing pressure on the sides of the veins. Over time, increased pressure can lead to vessel malfunction and fluid leakage, leading to swelling in your tissues.

Lower lymphatic drainage

Your lymph system performs a crucial role in removing excess fluids from your tissues. Heart failure can affect the way your lymph system works, which means more fluids are left to collect and cause swelling.

Gravity

The natural effects of gravity play a role, too. Fluids tend to accumulate in the lowest parts of your body, thanks to the forces of gravity. If you have heart failure, the added pull of gravity can cause fluids to build up in your feet and your legs more often than other, higher areas of your body.

Don’t ignore swelling

Heart failure is just one serious cause of leg swelling. We use a series of evaluations to identify the cause, so we can tailor treatment to your needs.

To learn more about heart failure and how we can help you manage it, request an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute in Zephyrhills, Lakeland, Plant City, and Riverview, Florida, today.