What is Lymphedema? - Healthy And Diseased Lymphatic Systems

A normal and well-functioning lymphatic system will transport the amount of lymphatic fluid produced by the body at any given time. The typical amount of lymphatic fluid that is required to be transported from the periphery back to the circulatory system is well below the maximum capabilities of the lymphatic system. When some form of injury is sustained and lymphatic fluid increases, for a short time the lymphatic system can be overcome by the volume of fluid that requires transport. This results in swelling. In some disease processes, such as congestive heart failure, the base amount of lymphatic fluid produced is increased above the transport capacity of the lymphatic system which results in chronic swelling. In other cases, the lymphatic system may be diseased since birth, or have been injured and unable to repair itself, which reduces the maximum transport capabilities of the lymphatic system. These impairments will lead to an overload of lymphatic fluid as well, though it is of a different nature than other forms of swelling. Due to the nature of this fluid, it begins a cyclical process that continually increases the amount of fluid that is demanding transport back to the circulatory system. This type of edema continually increases, and so does the size of the body that is affected by it. Any kind of chronic edema can lead to wounds and infections, as well as the side effects that these may cause.