“My baby is 10 months old and has water retention in her legs. Should we be worried?”
My daughter is 10 months old and I have noticed some water retention in her legs. We have taken her to the pediatrician who has taken some samples for testing. I am worried if it could be the sign of another problem. How common is this?
7 Answers
Let the doctor do tests like urine analysis to look for any protein in the urine. Also, blood work to check renal function, liver fn, etc. Also let him check heart.
Talk to your pediatrician
Yes! And she should be evaluated by a doctor to find out why she is retaining fluids in her body. Kidney, liver, and heart diseases as well as other diseases can cause this.
It is important that the pediatrician check her blood tests for kidney function as well as liver function in addition to checking her heart. She also will need urine to be tested to get to a final etiology of leg swelling
Yes, as this can be sign of nephrotic syndrome.
Yes. She needs to see a pediatric nephrologist.
Water retention in the legs (or other parts of the body) is called edema. It is not very common. Many conditions are associated with edema, which means that there are many causes, too. Here are some ways that conditions could cause edema:
Liver disease:
A healthy liver helps to regulate the level of fluid in the body. If the liver is damaged, it may not be able to do this, leading to fluid build-up. Often, this is in the abdomen though, not in the legs. Your pediatrician probably checked the albumin level and liver enzymes. Liver disease in toddlers should be treated by a pediatric gastroenterologist/hepatologist.
Kidney disease:
The kidneys may not be able to eliminate enough fluid from your child’s body. Another possible reason is a low albumin level in the blood because the kidneys are oozing albumin and other plasma proteins. In children of this age, one must test whether there is protein or albumin in the urine and the level of total protein and albumin in the blood. Your child could have nephrotic syndrome. Any kidney disease should be treated by a pediatric nephrologist.
Heart disease:
Edema related to heart disease can be associated with:
* congestive heart failure
* cardiomyopathy
* congenital heart defect
Since your child’s body depends on her heart to pump blood to her organs, poor cardiac function can cause edema in several ways:
* If your child’s heart, for whatever reason, isn’t pumping blood efficiently, blood can build up in the parts of her body furthest from the heart, such as the legs, ankles, and feet.
* This puts increased pressure on the tiny blood vessels called capillaries, which may begin to leak blood into the surrounding tissues, causing swelling.
* Because of the poor heart function, the kidneys sense less blood fluid available and begin to conserve water and sodium.
* Also, without sufficient blood supply, the kidneys have a harder time doing their job of ridding the body of excess fluid.
* Eventually, this excess fluid builds up in the lungs.
What are the other symptoms of edema?
Aside from the actual swelling, you or your child may notice your child:
* feeling tired after minimal physical exertion, like climbing stairs
* gaining weight
* having trouble breathing
* with a cough that gets worse at night or when she is lying down. This may be a sign of acute pulmonary edema, or excessive fluid in the lungs, which requires emergency treatment.
There are also some other reasons which are very rare. Your pediatrician will screen for liver, kidney, and heart disease and make appropriate referrals to subspecialists. The cause of the edema must be identified and treated.
Kind regards,
Guido Filler, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Liver disease:
A healthy liver helps to regulate the level of fluid in the body. If the liver is damaged, it may not be able to do this, leading to fluid build-up. Often, this is in the abdomen though, not in the legs. Your pediatrician probably checked the albumin level and liver enzymes. Liver disease in toddlers should be treated by a pediatric gastroenterologist/hepatologist.
Kidney disease:
The kidneys may not be able to eliminate enough fluid from your child’s body. Another possible reason is a low albumin level in the blood because the kidneys are oozing albumin and other plasma proteins. In children of this age, one must test whether there is protein or albumin in the urine and the level of total protein and albumin in the blood. Your child could have nephrotic syndrome. Any kidney disease should be treated by a pediatric nephrologist.
Heart disease:
Edema related to heart disease can be associated with:
* congestive heart failure
* cardiomyopathy
* congenital heart defect
Since your child’s body depends on her heart to pump blood to her organs, poor cardiac function can cause edema in several ways:
* If your child’s heart, for whatever reason, isn’t pumping blood efficiently, blood can build up in the parts of her body furthest from the heart, such as the legs, ankles, and feet.
* This puts increased pressure on the tiny blood vessels called capillaries, which may begin to leak blood into the surrounding tissues, causing swelling.
* Because of the poor heart function, the kidneys sense less blood fluid available and begin to conserve water and sodium.
* Also, without sufficient blood supply, the kidneys have a harder time doing their job of ridding the body of excess fluid.
* Eventually, this excess fluid builds up in the lungs.
What are the other symptoms of edema?
Aside from the actual swelling, you or your child may notice your child:
* feeling tired after minimal physical exertion, like climbing stairs
* gaining weight
* having trouble breathing
* with a cough that gets worse at night or when she is lying down. This may be a sign of acute pulmonary edema, or excessive fluid in the lungs, which requires emergency treatment.
There are also some other reasons which are very rare. Your pediatrician will screen for liver, kidney, and heart disease and make appropriate referrals to subspecialists. The cause of the edema must be identified and treated.
Kind regards,
Guido Filler, MD, PhD, FRCPC
