Assessment of hypoproteinaemic oedema: a simple physical sign.

Abstract

Assessment of hypoproteinaemic oedema: a simple physical sign It is well known that hypoproteinaemia can cause pitting oedema.We have found that hypoproteinaemic oedema pits and recovers dif- ferently from other types of oedema but can find no reference to this in reports or texts on physical signs.We therefore investigated the relation between the rate of recovery of pitting and the serum albumin concentration in a group of oedematous patients. Patients, methods, and resultsOver four months all patients coming to our notice who had had pitting leg oedema for less than three months were studied.Their oedema was on 20 July