Swelling
So what exactly is it anyway? I understand that when you get hit with something hard enough to leave a bruise it breaks tiny blood vessels and some leaks out. I can see that making a lump. But what about other things? Bug bites can leave a little distended area, but the fluid is often clear. And infections can do it too. So if they're all different, how do the things that 'reduce swelling' work?
These are the things I wonder about.
(any of you medical wizards have more info before I turn to Google and read a lot of stuff?)
These are the things I wonder about.
(any of you medical wizards have more info before I turn to Google and read a lot of stuff?)
posted by pitfinder at 12:30 AM
4 Comments:
Did you google it yet? I can explain if you like, but I think I am a tad late :)
Uh, I guess I've been lazy lately. So, no I didn't Google it yet. Any explanation would be appreciated. (what's the fun in knowing smart people if you can't have them tell you stuff?)
:-)
Hehe, well here goes:
Blood is not just one thing, it's a mixture of fluid, cells and proteins. The cells that make blood look red are red blood cells. There are also white blood cells which are important for fighting infection.
The underlying process that you're talking about is inflammation, it's the body's basic way of dealing with injury. A part of that process is that small blood vessels in the area get leaky, so the fluid is able to get out of them and into the surrounding tissue. That's why you get swelling. It doesn't matter what the initial cause is, because the basic response of the body is the same each time. That's why different things can be treated with the same drugs.
The fluid in a bug bites looks clear because the red blood cells don't get out of the vessels. In a bruise you'll have damaged blood vessels as well as leaky blood vessels, so the red blood cells can escape.
Are you more confused now?
No, that actually makes sense to me. I guess I was guilty of thinking of blood as sort of homogeneous since that's how it looks when I usually see it. :-)
If I'd stopped to think about it, I might have wondered where exactly else fluid could be coming from. It's not like bug bites would fill up with sweat, right? :-)
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