HOW IS EDEMA TREATED?

To treat edema, one needs to treat the underlying cause. In many situations, however, the condition that is causing the edema cannot be fixed immediately.   In such cases, the only treatment is to make the body excrete (release as waste) the extra water and/or salt by increasing the amount of urine produced by the kidneys. This is done with medications known as diuretics and by decreasing the amount of salt in the diet. Special diuretics are usually used that do not deplete potassium while getting rid of the extra fluids in the body. These drugs are known as potassium-sparing diuretics. The reason that these medications spare potassium is that it is a very important element for all body systems to function normally.

Parts of the body that are affected with edema should be protected from possible injury, continued pressure, and extreme temperatures (too hot or too cold). If an arm or leg has edema that is caused by abnormally slow blood flow through the venous system, the blood flow can be increased by lifting up the arm or leg and applying an elastic stocking around the leg or an elastic sleeve around the arm.