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edema
(ә-de´mә)
the accumulation of excess fluid in a body compartment; it may be in the cells (cellular edema), in the intercellular spaces within tissues (interstitial edema), or in potential spaces within the body. Edema may also be classified by location, such as pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, ascites, hydrothorax, or hydropericardium. Massive generalized edema is called anasarca. Edema can be caused by a variety of factors, such as an excess of hypotonic fluid (allowing movement of water into intracellular spaces), or decreased levels of plasma proteins (allowing passage of
fluid out of the blood vessels into the tissue spaces). Other factors include poor lymphatic drainage; conditions that increase
capillary pressure, such as excessive salt or fluid content of the blood, or heart failure; and conditions that increase capillary
permeability, such as inflammation. Former names for edema were dropsy and hydrops. adj., edem´atous., adj.
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