Atherosclerosis Edema

Peripheral vascular examination can detect evidence of atherosclerosis, which may present as aortic or abdominal bruits, distended veins, diminished or absent peripheral pulses, or lower extremity edema. 

Analbuminemia. Only 20 or so famflies with inherited analbuminemia have been reported, attesting to the protein s physiological importance. Although affected individuals have plasma albumin levels less than 0.5 g/L (about 1% of normal), they were originally reported to be clinically normal except for mild edema (usually none before the second to fourth decades of Life) and altered lipid metabolism. In 1996, the presence of lipodystrophy in women and osteoporosis, hypotension, arcus lipoides corneae, and xanthomatosis in some patients was first reported. In one patient, ankle edema disappeared rapidly with intravenous albumin infusion however, she developed signs of hypocalcemia during infusions. The infusions did not affect her lipodystrophy. In spite of the lipid abnormalities in affected individuals, there is no increased risk for atherosclerosis. The plasma half-life of infused albumin in affected individuals is 50 to 60 days or approximately three times normal. 

Analbuminemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Affected individuals do not exhibit serious clinical symptoms, not even edema. The lack of clinical edema is presumably due to osmotic compensation by the mildly elevated globulins. Osteoporosis in analbuminemia has been corrected by the administeration of human serum albumin. Affected females exhibit minimal pretibial edema, mild anemia, normal liver function tests, absence of proteinuria, lowered blood pressure, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and lipodystrophy. Despite elevated plasma cholesterol levels, severe atherosclerosis was not present. 

The peripheral vasculature is considered a target organ. Physical examination of the systemic vasculature can detect evidence of atherosclerosis, which may present as bruits (in the aortic, abdominal, and peripheral arteries), distended veins, diminished or absent peripheral arterial pulses, or lower extremity edema. Peripheral arterial disease is a clinical condition that can result from atherosclerosis, which is accelerated in hypertension. Other cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., smoking) can increase the hkelihood of peripheral arterial disease as well as all other forms of target-organ damage. 

Congestive heart failure is the reduction of the heart s pumping ability to subnormal levels. This in turn results in fluid accumulation in the lungs and body extremities, which is a condition called edema. The edema is accompanied by pulmonary congestion and shortness of breath. The actual cause of congestive heart failure (CHF) is damage to the myocardium. This damage may in turn be due to severe hypertension, atherosclerosis, rheumatic fever, birth defects, or heart attacks. 

Traditional use Fruits and leaves are used to treat anemia and edema, and as a light laxative. Fresh fruits are used to decrease blood pressure, to treat heart and liver diseases and atherosclerosis. A decocotion of the young branches is drunk to treat children s diabetes and skin tuberculosis (Poludenny and Zhuravlev 2000). A decoction of the fruits is used as a diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic. The fresh juice is used to treat stomach and duodenum ulcers and gastritis with low stomach acidity mixed with honey it is used to treat respiratory diseases. Leaves are used in a tea to treat skin and bladder diseases, kidney stones, rheumatism, common colds, and also as a diuretic (Khahnatov et al. 1984). 

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