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A “nasty” symptom on the leg could signal a number of potentially fatal diseases and conditions, an expert has warned. According to podiatrist Dr Dana Brems, pitting oedema is a sign of heart and kidney issues. Speaking on social media platform TikTok, the Dr Brems explained more about the bizarre looking phenomenon.

For reference she used another creator’s post in which they demonstrated their own experience with pitting oedema as an example. In the original video the affected patient pressed down six times on their leg with their thumb, leaving clear circular indents that stayed there longer than you would expect. Dr Brems, who is known best online as Foot Doc Dana , said: “This is pitting oedema.



“Notice that when he presses an indent remains right here. Now this is caused by a buildup of fluid and it could be from multiple reasons but the most common would be heart issues and kidney issues.” To check if you have pitting oedema yourself you can press in on your legs and ankles.

If the indent stays for longer than two seconds then it is cause for concern. As explained by Dr Brems, heart failure and kidney disease are both known causes of pitting oedema. If your heart is too weak to pump blood around your body properly, fluid can build up in your tissues, including in the legs.

Meanwhile , pitting oedema can also be a result of kidney disease as the kidneys are struggling to get rid of water and salt from the body, causing fluids to build up. But there are severa.

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