Lymphoedema is a chronic condition that causes swelling in your body's tissue. Typically, either the arms or legs are affected, though, in some cases, there may be swelling in the chest, head or genitals. This can lead to pain and loss of mobility.
Lymphoedema is caused by damage or disruption to the lymphatic system.
What is the lymphatic system?
Most people are aware that they have a circulation system that carries the blood from the heart to the rest of the body, but the body also has a second circulation system, called the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is made up of a series of vessels and glands, known as lymph nodes. These are spread throughout your body, much like your blood vessels.
The lymphatic system has two important functions:
- It helps fight infection. The lymphatic system carries a white fluid known as lymph, which is full of infection-fighting cells known as lymphocytes.
- It drains excess fluid from tissue. As the blood circulates through your tissue it leaves behind waste products in the shape of fluids and proteins. This excess fluid is moved through tiny capillaries into the lymphatic system, which then filters out any bacteria or viruses. The clean fluid is then passed back into your blood.
If the lymphatic system becomes disrupted or damaged it can lose the ability to drain fluid, and the excess fluid will then cause tissue to swell.
People with lymphoma are also more vulnerable to infection, as the infection-fighting lymphocytes are prevented from reaching the part of the body that is affected by swelling. A bacterial infection of the skin known as cellulitis is one of the most reported infections in people living with lymphoedema.
Type of lymphoedema
There are two main types of lymphoedema:
- Primary lymphoedema is caused by faulty genes, and develops at birth or shortly after puberty.
- Secondary lymphoedema is caused when an infection, injury, trauma or cancer damages the lymphatic system.
Secondary lymphoedema often develops as a side effect of cancer treatment. The radiotherapy used in cancer treatment can damage the lymphatic system. It's also sometimes necessary to remove a number of lymph nodes in order to prevent a cancer from spreading, which can also damage the lymphatic system.
How common is lymphoedema?
Primary lymphoedema is rare. It's estimated that one in every 10,000 people will be affected by primary lymphoedema.
Secondary lymphoedema is a relatively widespread condition. It's estimated that 100,000 people in the UK have secondary lymphoedema. The condition is more common in women than men, possibly because secondary lymphoedema can arise as a side effect of the treatment of breast cancer.
There is no cure for lymphoedema, but it is possible to control the symptoms using a combination of different techniques, such as massage and compression clothing.
