UNDERSTANDING EDEMA: MEANING, FORMATION, CAUSES AND TISSUE FLUID FORMATION.
INTRODUCTION Edema is the swelling that occurs when your body traps excess fluid especially in the skin. This fluid is known as tissue fluid or interstitial fluid (ISF). The interstitial fluid is defined as the fluid which fills the spaces between cells. It helps to exchange materials between cells, between blood (plasma) and tissue cells and waste removal. PLASMA IS THE LIQUID PART OF THE BLOOD. THE SOLID PART OF THE BLOOD IS COMPOSED OF CELLS . The interstitial fluid and plasma are kept in a physiological balance state to maintain their functions but in some disease conditions this balance is altered and if positive on the interstitial fluid, it results to edema. NOTABLE CAUSES INCLUDE: Allergy, inflammation, trauma, sitting or standing for a long time, medications, starvation, malnutrition, pregnancy, organ failures, vascular obstructions, poor drainage of a body area are known to cause edema. FLUID EXCHANGE The part of your blood vessels r