What are the causes of swelling all over the body

Edema is mainly a kind of edema phenomenon. Edema may be edema in a certain part of the body or it may be systemic edema. Generally speaking, systemic edema cannot be ruled out as a disease-related cause. Generally, kidney disease may cause swelling all over the body, and may be accompanied by other symptoms.

1. Kidney disease

Kidney disease is the main cause of general edema. Acute nephritis usually occurs 2 or 3 weeks after fever, sore throat, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, or skin boils. Swelling of the eyelids and face appears and quickly spreads throughout the body, presenting as non-pitting edema. At the same time, urination decreases significantly, the urine becomes meat-washing water-like, urine tests are abnormal, and blood pressure increases. If there is obvious pitting edema all over the body, small amount of urine, and a large amount of protein in the urine test, it is nephrotic syndrome. In addition, chronic nephritis and pyelonephritis can also cause systemic edema, but in most cases the degree is mild.

2. Heart disease

It is often caused by heart failure due to heart diseases such as congenital heart disease, myocarditis, pericarditis or pneumonia, nephritis, severe anemia, etc. Generally, the main symptoms are lower limb edema, accompanied by dyspnea, tachycardia, hepatomegaly, and thickening of neck veins.

3. Liver disease

Edema first occurs in the lower limbs and then spreads to the whole body. Severe cases may also be mainly characterized by ascites, such as severe hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc. It can be confirmed based on the child's previous history of hepatitis, symptoms such as anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice, enlarged liver, and abnormal liver function tests.

4. Malnutrition

Due to protein deficiency, malnourished children will experience pitting edema in the lower limbs or the whole body, accompanied by pale complexion, anemia and other symptoms.

5. Others

Children with hypothyroidism, due to insufficient thyroid hormone, will have non-pitting edema mainly on the eyelids, cheeks or limbs. In severe cases, it may affect the whole body, with dementia on the face, mental retardation, and height and weight lagging behind children of the same age. If a newborn baby has pitting edema, refuses to eat, cries in a low voice, and has cold and hard skin, it is scleredema neonatorum, which is caused by congenital deficiency, cold climate, improper warmth or some serious infection.