Swollen ankles

[Starrynight]

I don't know if this is of relevance to ME as it has only become noticeable in the last couple of years, a fraction of my time with ME/CFS.

Puffiness around the ankles, what I guess oedema feels like there, socks leave marks, they are sometimes a bit reddish and itchy. As I was suffering from frequent breathlessness last year I pointed it out to GP who ordered NT-PRO BNP test. My result was well below the level indicative of heart failure to my relief, however getting on for a year later, and having been more active recently, ankles seems unchanged.

I don't obviously have OI or POTS type symptoms, nor diabetes, my BMI is within normal range and am not currently housebound or particularly sedentary. Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

If socks leave marks there is some extra fluid accumulating - oedema.

Symmetrical or near symmetrical low grade oedema is very common as time goes by. For many people it does not appear until they are around sixty to seventy but for a proportion of people it occurs quite a bit younger. Nothing much is known about the cause but it must reflect some sort of failure in the ability of the tissue to clear fluid via lymphatics, either because tissue elasticity is reduced or lymphatics are less efficient at 'wicking' and pumping.

In comparison, heart failure or kidney disease are quite uncommon causes and tend to produce much more obvious oedema.

Mild oedema can occur with various other medical conditions. It is a common accompaniment of peripheral neuropathy, where there is often some redness too. A basic medical check up is appropriate. In most cases nothing will be found. An abdominal/pelvic ultrasound may be a helpful non-invasive way to check visceral health. But if mild oedema has not changed much over two years it is likely to have no specific findable cause.