These Lung conditions can cause surprising symptoms in your legs.
It's easy to take your respiratory health for granted—after all,
you breathe every second of every day and rarely give your lungs the
life-sustaining credit they deserve. But experts say that your lung health can
go far beyond the walls of your chest cavity, even affecting your furthest
extremities. According to experts, specific symptoms in your legs may indicate
severe pulmonary problems. Read on to determine which three-leg symptoms are
considered respiratory red flags and what troubling lung conditions they may
reveal.
Pain, cramping, or swelling in the legs can signal pulmonary
hypertension.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a dangerous condition in which the
arteries supplying blood from the heart to the lungs narrow, leading to high
blood pressure. In the event of PH, "overworked and enlarged, the right
ventricle gradually becomes weaker and loses its ability to pump enough blood
to the lungs," explains the Cleveland Clinic. Ultimately, this can cause
some patients with pulmonary hypertension to develop heart failure, a
life-threatening progressive condition in which the heart fails to pump blood
as it should.
Symptoms of PH include irregular pulse, weakened heartbeat,
shortness of breath during exercise, dizziness, and labored breathing while at
rest. This lung condition can also cause symptoms in the legs, such as
discomfort, cramping, and swelling. People with pulmonary hypertension may also
have pain or swelling in their ankles and feet.
These same symptoms can signal pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when one of the pulmonary arteries
in your lungs becomes blocked. This is mainly caused by a blood clot in the
deep veins of the legs, though blood clots can also travel to the lungs from
the arms or other body parts (albeit less frequently).
People with PE often experience chest pain, shortness of breath,
or persistent cough. They may also experience lightheadedness, sweating,
irregular heartbeat, fever, or clammy skin. Those with deep vein thrombosis
(DVT), a direct precursor to pulmonary embolism, may experience swelling, pain,
soreness, or swelling in one leg. Some DVT patients also experience skin
discoloration or a feeling of warmth in the affected leg.
Color changes or swelling in the legs can indicate cyanosis.
If you notice that your legs appear blue, purple, or gray, it
could be a sign of cyanosis, a condition of the heart and lungs which occurs
when blood oxygen saturation levels fall below 85 percent. While a range of
underlying conditions can cause cyanosis, several of its most common causes are
linked to the lungs. These include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), pulmonary hypertension, asthma, and pneumonia.
Swelling of the legs can also point to pulmonary edema.
Pulmonary edema is a potentially life-threatening condition marked
by excess fluid in the air sacs of the lungs. Patients with pulmonary edema
find breathing increasingly difficult because fluid pools where air should be.
Shortness of breath, anxiety, wheezing, a persistent cough (often producing
pink, frothy sputum), rapid heartbeat, or lightheadedness are common symptoms
of acute pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema is a chronic condition that can cause
these symptoms weight gain, fatigue, and swelling in the legs and feet.
Speak with your doctor if you notice any abnormal leg changes, especially if you have a known condition affecting your lungs. It is essential to seek medical assistance if you experience pain, swelling, discoloration, or persistent cramping with no known cause.