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Lymphedema is the edema of a limb due to hypoplasia of the lymphatic vessels, the so-called primary lymphedema, or obstruction or destruction of the lymphatic vessels, the so-called secondary lymphedema. The symptomatology that characterizes it is represented by hard non-compressible edema, of fibrous consistency, in one or more limbs.

The most frequent causes of secondary lymphedema are surgery (especially lymph node dissection, generally for the treatment of breast cancer), radiotherapy (especially axillary or inguinal), trauma and lymphatic obstruction due to a tumor. Upper limb lymphedema after conventional breast cancer treatment occurs in approximately 20% of treated cases, even after conservative therapy. Women with lymphoedema in the arms of medium or severe severity undergo decongestant therapy, which normally combines physiotherapy and medical treatments.

Lymphedema is generated due to a pathological situation of various kinds and is characterized by inflammation with increased fragility of the capillaries and loss of tone of the tissues. The sum of these factors leads to a greater loss of fluids and proteins from the blood vessels and a lower return of fluids to the lymphatic vessels. In the interstitial spaces of the tissues, i.e. outside the vessels, the accumulation of proteins progressively increases, and the tissue becomes fibrotic by inflammatory reaction. The process tends to feed itself further worsening the lymphatic flow and the edema is expected to grow, unless appropriate action is taken.

Treatment consists of physical exercise, elastic compression, massage and sometimes surgery. Complete healing is not usually achieved, but treatment can reduce or slow the progression of the disease and prevent complications. In addition to these therapeutic practices, it is possible to intervene with oral or topical therapy based on substances that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which protect blood and lymphatic vessels and promote their repair, which have anti-edema effect, by facilitating the removal of proteins spills from the vessels into the interstitial spaces, lymphatic drainage and antifibrotic.

Lymphedema is the edema of a limb due to hypoplasia of the lymphatic vessels, in this case it is called primary lymphedema, or to obstruction or destruction of the lymphatic vessels and in this case, it is called secondary lymphedema. The symptomatology is represented by hard non-compressible edema, of fibrous consistency, in one or more limbs.

The most frequent causes of secondary lymphedema are surgery (especially lymph node dissection, generally for the treatment of breast cancer), radiotherapy (especially axillary or inguinal), trauma and lymphatic obstruction due to a tumor. Upper limb lymphedema after conventional breast cancer treatment occurs in approximately 20% of treated cases, even after conservative therapy. Women with lymphoedema in the arms of medium or severe problematic undergo decongestant therapy, which normally combines physiotherapy and medical treatments.

Lymphedema is generated due to a pathological situation of various kinds and is characterized by inflammation with increased fragility of the capillaries and loss of tone of the tissues. The sum of these factors leads to a greater loss of fluids and proteins from the blood vessels and a lower return of fluids to the lymphatic vessels. In the interstitial spaces of the tissues, i.e. outside the vessels, the accumulation of proteins progressively increases, and the tissue becomes fibrotic by inflammatory reaction. The process tends to feed itself further worsening the lymphatic flow and the edema is expected to grow, unless appropriate action is taken.

Treatment consists of physical exercise, elastic compression, massage and sometimes surgery. Complete healing is not usually achieved, but treatment can reduce or slow the progression of the disease and prevent complications. In addition to these therapeutic practices, it is possible to intervene with oral or topical therapy based on substances that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which protect blood and lymphatic vessels and promote their repair, which have anti-edema effect, by facilitating the removal of proteins spills from the vessels into the interstitial spaces, lymphatic drainage and antifibrotic.

Following the frequent trauma that children and adolescents suffer, the walls of small-caliber vessels rupture with the formation of ecchymosis, the common bruise. Hematomas are the expression of more serious traumas, therefore of the rupture of larger vessels, or the consequence of surgical wounds. Ecchymoses and hematomas are infiltrations of blood into the interstices of the tissues, which appear on the skin surface in the form of dark, purplish or bluish-red spots. Due to the chemical changes undergone over time by the pigment present in the blood leaking from the vessels, the ecchymosis and the hematoma gradually pass through a series of colors: first the color is dark blue, then it becomes greenish, then yellow gradually faded.

The formation of bruises and hematomas can be facilitated by the alteration of blood clotting induced by pathological states, such as thrombocytopenia and hemophilia, or by taking anticoagulant therapies, a condition which is extremely rare among the younger ones.

The simplest treatment of bruises is based on the application of ice on the skin surface, while in the most severe forms it is necessary to resort to surgery.

By examining the pathophysiology of minor traumas that can give rise to bruising or, in the worst case scenario, hematomas, it is discovered that the rupture of the vessels in addition to giving rise to the typical “bruise” also determines a reduction in the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the tissues which in turn causes a slowing down of the healing processes. Alongside this there is also rupture of the lymphatic vessels and the formation of a lymphedema. The sum of the two events, the rupture of the blood vessels and the rupture of the lymphatic vessels, reduces the ability to remove the catabolites from the tissues with the trigger of an inflammatory reactive process that amplifies the pain. If neglected, there may also be a risk of fibroticisation of the tissues and thus the partial loss of their functions. To overcome these risks, in cases where the conditions that require it occur, oral or topical therapy can be started based on substances that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which protect the blood and lymphatic vessels and promote their repair, which have anti-edema, lymphatic drainage and antifibrotic effect.