Overview of possible causes
There are several causes that can lead to water accumulation in the hands. Fluid retention in the hands (also called edema), often results from an increased blood volume or a changed composition of the blood, which causes water to be washed out into the tissue. They can occur at short notice and locally, e.g. in the context of an insect bite, but also in the entire body to a much greater extent.
Water retention in the hands can occur without a pathological cause, as well as due to a disease of certain organs. Water retention limited to a certain location (regional edema) develops, for example, in the case of one-sided stress or prolonged immobilization. It can happen that after a long walk or jogging there is more water in the hands.
The blood accumulates in the veins of the hands and fluid is pressed into the tissue.In the case of a cardiac insufficiency, insufficient blood transport occurs due to a restriction of the pumping function. Here, the typical signs are water in the legs or, if the left side of the heart is affected, water in the lungs. In the hands, water retention in this disease is rather rare, but can occur, especially when patients are severely affected and are mainly lying down.
You can read more information about this here Heart failureEdema can also occur with kidney dysfunction; the typical areas here are mainly in the facial region, but water can also accumulate in the hands. The reason for the accumulation of water in the body in the case of kidney diseases can be, in addition to a reduced excretion of water, also the loss of important proteins via the urine in damaged kidneys. This loss of protein changes the composition of the blood and water enters the tissue more easily from the blood.
General information on this topic can be found here Kidney diseasesWater retention in the body usually occurs only in the very late stages of severe liver diseases. Liver diseases usually become apparent much earlier through a yellowing of the skin (icterus), further skin changes and a coagulation disorder. Especially in liver cirrhosis, in which the liver hardly has any real tissue but is almost completely scarred, a disturbed formation of proteins in the liver can lead to a changed composition of the blood and consequently to water retention.
More information on this topic can be found here Cirrhosis of the liverDiseases of the veins mean that the blood can no longer be transported as well as it should towards the heart, resulting in congestion and the water from the accumulated blood from the vessels entering the tissue. This is especially the case when you walk longer distances and always leave your arms hanging towards the ground. The water then collects at the lowest point, usually in the feet and ankles, but also in the hands if necessary.
The cause is a weakness of the veins, the so-called venous insufficiency, in which the venous valves no longer close properly and the blood is no longer transported well to the heart. This occurs mainly in old age and is more common in women than in men. Many drugs can also cause water retention in the body as side effects.
However, the ankles and legs are affected much more frequently than the hands. The blood pressure medication amlodipine can be mentioned as an example. There are two special forms of edema: lymphedema, which is a condition in which the lymphatic system is damaged so that the lymph can no longer be adequately transported away and remains in the tissue.
Lymphedema can be distinguished from water retention by the fact that when pressed into the swollen area, a dent can be made in water retention. In the case of lymphedema, no dent can be made by pressing in. In myxedema, special sugar protein compounds are deposited in the skin or muscle tissue, and it occurs, for example, in the case of hypothyroidism.
The myxoedema is often located on the back of the hand or in the facial area. The characteristic feature is that pressing in these water accumulations does not leave any dents, the tissue is therefore resilient and the skin often appears doughy and rough. Other causes of edema in the area of the hands can rarely be hormone disorders or even allergies or inflammations. You can read more information here Causes of oedema
