What Could be Causing Swollen Hands?

What Causes Swollen Hands?

Swollen hands can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'minor' to 'life-threatening'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose swollen hands, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "swollen hands" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):

Anorexia/Starvation Tendency
Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects
Hormone Imbalance
Hypothyroidism
Eclampsia / Preeclampsia
Low Progesterone
Protein Deficiency
Kidney Disease

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

missing outer third of eyebrows

difficulty losing weight

jaundiced skin

hypothyroidism

gradual loss of vision

severe emotional instability

much reduced sense of smell

dry hair

probable miscarriage

late puberty onset

incoherent speech

very low tryptophan levels

... and more than 120 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of swollen hands:

Cause	Probability	Status
Eclampsia / Preeclampsia	90%	Confirm
Kidney Disease	17%	Unlikely
Low Progesterone	12%	Unlikely
Anorexia/Starvation Tendency	4%	Ruled out
Hypothyroidism	1%	Ruled out
Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects	0%	Ruled out
Protein Deficiency	0%	Ruled out
Hormone Imbalance	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate edema, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you have edema of the hands? To rate its severity, press firmly with a finger for 5 seconds and note the approximate depth of the indentation or length of time to return to normal.

Possible responses:

→ No / don't know
→ Slight: 5mm (1/4 inch) depth, immediate return
→ Minor: 8-10mm (1/2 inch) depth, 10-15 seconds
→ Moderate: 11-20mm (3/4 inch) depth, 15-30 seconds
→ Severe: Over 20mm (1 inch) depth, over 30 seconds

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate edema of the hands, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Edema (Water Retention)

Edema (Water Retention) also suggests the following possibilities:

Alcohol-related Problems

Excessive alcohol intake can cause edema.

Allergy to Foods (Hidden)

Anorexia / Starvation Tendency

Semi-starvation can cause edema. People with eating disorders may interpret the puffiness of edema or any changes on the scale as weight gain or getting "fat" and may panic and purge or take laxatives even more.

Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects

Angioedema or swelling of the eyelids, lips, hands or feet are listed as possible reactions to aspartame.

Atrophic Gastritis

Edema may be due to low levels of circulating proteins from poor protein digestion.

Eclampsia / Preeclampsia

Excess Salt Consumption

Salt can increase the amount of fluid that you retain in your body.

Excess Water Consumption

Hormone Imbalance

Hormones regulate the amount of interstitial fluid surrounding our body's cells. A hormone imbalance can result in too much interstitial fluid, and thus edema.

Hypothyroidism

Kidney Disease

Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement

Premenstrual Syndrome PMS H (Headache)

Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance

Progesterone has been used in the treatment of idiopathic edema under the premise that some women with idiopathic edema either do not ovulate or have a luteal phase deficiency.

Ovarian function was investigated in 30 women with postural idiopathic edema by measuring plasma estradiol and progesterone levels between the 21st and 23rd days of the menstrual cycle. Plasma progesterone concentrations were found to be lower than 5ng/ml in 53% of the cases and lower than 10ng/ml in 83%. The ovarian dysfunction most frequently observed was inadequate corpus luteum, i.e. progesterone deficiency with normal plasma estradiol levels. In virtually all patients the initial disorder in capillary permeability, as evaluated by Landis' test, was fully corrected by progesterone administered orally. However, clinical improvement was less marked with treatments of short duration (2-3 consecutive cycles). In view of the complex cause of the disease, combined treatments in which progesterone might well play the major role are usually required. [Presse Med 1983 Dec 10;12(45): pp.2859-62 (translated)]

Protein Deficiency

When protein (especially albumin) levels in your blood go too low, the colloidal osmotic pressure will decrease and allow fluid to escape from blood vessels into your tissues, resulting in edema or swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, knees and/or belly.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Nephrotic Syndrome

Nutritional Deficiency

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