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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Swollen feet/ankles
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Swollen feet/ankles
by Carla__0__0, May 11, 1998 12:00AM
Dear C.C. Doctor, i have had swollen ankles in the inner sides..lLooks like little pouches..My left foot also looks swollen but not the right foot only the ankles..When i get up in the mornings they are greatly reduced with only lil inner sacs/pouches..iI have also had a pale yellow productice cough for 5 months now. . I saw a pulmonologist last year and in December for a cold that turned into bronchial astma and I was so short of breath. Chest X-rays were normal. I asked about congestive heart failure as my Mom had this and he outlined the heart on the X-ray and said No to congestive heart failure..I was on boo coos of cortizone last year and again in December. I have had swollen feet before but i think perhaps meds caused it. I also get swollen feet travelling but they always go down in a short while and stay down..Now the swelling is there to some degree all the time. I stand up or sit at the computer and wham..they baloon up. Dr. is there other testings that will definately rule out a heart condition. This is really concerning me? Can other things cause daily swollen inner ankles? Is a productive cough indicative of this? Thanks so much for any help. I am in my fifties. Carla.
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Dear Carla:
Many things can cause swollen ankles. Medicines such as steroids can do it. Diseased veins in the legs can cause swelling. Heart failure can also cause swelling of the legs. If heart failure causes fluid to build up in the lungs, that can cause a cough. There is a definite genetic component to some types of heart failure - that is, it can ‘run in the family.’
A cardiac ultrasound [echocardiogram] is a test that can determine whether you have heart failure. It is noninvasive and painless. A cardiologist would be able to arrange and interpret this test.
If you wish to be evaluated here at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist who specializes in heart failure at desk F25. Information provided in the Heart Forum is for general purposes only. Specific diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your doctor.
