Torsemide and Edema
Edema is an abnormal swelling caused by an excessive accumulation of fluid in the extracellular spaces of tissue. Torsemide is known to be one of the loop diuretics of a new type capable of effectively removing excessive fluid from the body and is therefore mainly resorted to in order to treat edema.
Torsemide is used to treat not only diabetes. It is quite often recommended to resort to by people suffering from a number of diseases concomitant to diabetes mellitus: congestive heart failure, liver disease, kidney disorder. Many of these disorders are associated with such a complication as edema. Among the most typical causes of diabetic edema are cardiovascular disease, nephritic syndrome and acute renal failure, acute liver failure and a mixture of different other factors fundamentally connected with the mentioned dysfunctions.
There are three basic types of edema directly associated with diabetes mellitus which are differentiated by the area each of these types affects.
Macular edema is the swelling of the macular - an area near the retina. It begins with leaking of fluids from blood vessels in the retina. This type of edema is closely connected with diabetic retinopathy.
Pulmonary edema is brought about by the accompanying cardiovascular disease and often triggered by anti-diabetic drugs. Usually treating this type of edema requires an insertion of a catheter to drain the fluids.
Foot and leg edema results from venous insufficiency, cardiovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, kidney complications and liver conditions.
Contrary to thiazolidinediones, a group of anti-diabetic drugs which are known to cause an underlying condition of diabetic edema, Torsemide is often prescribed if you show any signs of edema of any type, since treatment for edema usually involves diuretics, and Torsemide is considered potent to move fluids out of the affected areas thus alleviating the edematous condition of a patient. That is why it is potentially applicable to treat any of the mentioned types of edema. Increasing the flow of urine from the body, Torsemide is used to induce a negative extracellular fluid balance.
Torsemide refers to "high-ceiling" diuretics due to its really high diuretic potential as it can move out up to 20% of the load of NaCl and water. At the same time it is very important to remember that Torsemide must be used with great caution as being such an effective diuretic it increases the excretion of fluids and sodium, but at the same time it decreases the blood volume, which sometimes results in a noticeable decrease in blood pressure.
If you experience any unusual swelling, do not embark on Torsemide immediately. It is better to contact your diabetes specialist who will determine the appropriate dosage taking account all the relevant individual details. Besides, treating edema in diabetic patients is often connected with simply adjusting the dose of the anti-diabetic agent as necessary.