The accompanying symptoms
Lymphedema itself is not actually a disease, but a symptom. This symptom occurs in many different diseases and depending on the cause, the other symptoms are also different. With all lymphedema, the restriction of movement is a severe side effect.
In a congenital malformation, lymphedema is often accompanied only by pain, skin changes and local wound healing disorders. In the case of a tumor disease, the symptoms of the tumor disease itself are in the foreground. These include the so-called B-symptoms, which consist of night sweats, fever and weight loss.
Depending on the type of the original tumor, those affected suffer from weakness, disorders of the immune system and pain. In the parasitic disease elephantiasis, the lymphedema in the scrotum can lead to infertility. Before the actual lymphedema, affected persons develop fever, allergic reactions and headaches.
In extreme cases, bacterial superinfections and blood poisoning can occur. The tissue changes can also degenerate and cause malignant tumors. The legs are the parts of the body most frequently affected by lymphedema.
Many liters of lymph fluid can accumulate in the legs and cause severe pain due to the pressure on the tissue. The outflow disorder itself, for example a tumor, can also cause pain. The pain can either cause pressure pain itself or constrict blood vessels, which then causes pain in the affected leg due to the lack of oxygen.
Just like the blood vessels, nerves can also be directly affected and be stressed by the pressure. Furthermore, a large amount of lymph fluid also means a considerable weight that the body has to carry. The areas of the body most severely damaged by additional weight are the knee joints.
The wear and tear of the knee joints happens faster than in a healthy person and means additional pain, especially when moving. In addition, the cracks and rashes of the skin are painful and dry by the third stage at the latest. These skin changes are permanent. The pain in the legs therefore does not have one cause, but is a combination of many reasons, which do not necessarily occur in every affected person.
