Answer to your Question

Answered By: Addiction Specialist

Answer: Arteries bring blood to tissue, veins take it away. At the transition between arteries and veins, there are vessels called capillaries that allow fluid from your blood to move into the surrounding tissue. Most of this fluid comes back into the capillaries but a small amount remains in the tissue. This extra fluid is brought back to the heart by another system of vessels called lymphatics. Edema (swelling) occurs when more fluid than normal stays in the tissues. Edema can be seen in many conditions, some of which are serious such as heart failure or kidney failure. If you have not been seen by a doctor for the edema, you should.

Answered on: August 10, 2009