Suggest Treatment For Swelling On The Ankles

Posted on Mon, 13 Jul 2015

Question: My ankles seem to be quite swollen. I noticed this about a week or so ago and it seems to be little more now than it was then. Is this something I should be concerned about? I had breast cancer surgery in 2003 (lumpectomy on right breast) at Mayo Clinic in XXXXXXX and radiation therapy - no chemo. Otherwise, I seem to be in good health. I did have a hernia surgery at U. of XXXXXXX in 2012. I am 83 years old.

Answered by Dr. Albana Sejdini (24 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Arthrits/kidney/heart failure/occlusion of legs blood vessels to rule out..

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I am sorry for the health situation you are going through.

1. Swollen ankles might be caused by various factors including:
- severe arthritis (especially if they are inflamed-red too)
- kidney problems: get them checked through urine analysis (for proteinuria); kidney function test and complete blood count; abdominal ultrasound
- heart failure: should get it checked by cardiologist and tests are necessary: ECG, echocardiogram, holter monitoring
- occlusion of blood vessels of the leg: Echo Doppler of the blood vessels in the leg is advised to rule it out

2. As you might see, there are various causes to rule out and to confirm the right cause to swollen ankles.

Discuss this further with your physician to start testing as soon as possible.

3. For the moment, I advise to:
- limit salt intake
- raise your legs when being sit or when sleeping

Hope it was of help!
Dr.Albana

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar