M
Medibot
Four Mechanisms of Edema in Pathology
Edema is swelling from extra fluid in the space between cells, and there are only four ways it can happen. Fluid builds up when pressure inside blood vessels rises, when blood protein pressure falls, when lymph drainage is blocked, or when the body holds on to sodium and water. Doctors use these four mechanisms to work out why a patient has swelling, ascites, or fluid around the heart or lungs.