Case Scenario
- A 50-year-old woman presents to your clinic for routine follow-up. She has a history of hypertension for ~ 15 years. She mentioned that she has noted fatigue and increased swelling in her lower extremities during the past several weeks.
Medications: Amlodipine (CCB) 10 mg OD.
On Physical Examination
- She appears to be in no apparent distress.
- Height: 153 cm
- Weight: 100 kg
- Blood pressure: 165/98 mmHg
- Pulse: 85/minute
- RR: 20/minute
- Cardiac exam was remarkable for an S1, S2, and S4.
- Lungs were clear to auscultation and percussion.
- Abdomen: obese, non-tender and without masses or bruits.
- Lower extremities had good pulses with pitting edema.
- Other systemic examination was normal.
Differential Diagnosis of Lower Limb Edema
- Venous Insufficiency
- Heart Failure
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Drugs (e.g., CCB & NSAIDs)
- Idiopathic Edema
- Lymphedema
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- Obesity