The medical profession is beginning to respond to the Lymphedema epidemic that is surfacing in this country. It is estimated that approximately one percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with lymphedema. Lymphedema is a swelling that manifests itself when the lymphatic system, for whatever reason, is unable to transport the lymph fluid from the body's cells back to the circulatory system through the complex network of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes. Pathologically, lymphedema is considered in two categories.
Primary lymphedema is congenital.
For some unknown reason, the individual's lymphatic system does not fully develop. As a consequence, some time in that individual's life, in infancy, adolescence, middle age or old age, lymphedema manifests itself usually as swelling in one or more limbs. Again the most frequent locus for the lymphedema is one or more limbs. In both primary and secondary lymphedema, the goal of treatment is to reduce or eliminate the amount of lymph which has accumulated in the affected area. This is important for several reasons.