What Are the Causes of Severe Water Retention?

Water retention, also known as edema, occurs when water leaks into the body tissues. Normally, fluids are drained through the body's lymphatic system, which is a network of tubes that remove waste and empties it back into the bloodstream. When the lymphatic system doesn't work properly, fluid isn't removed and is thus retained in the body tissues and causes swelling.

Causes

• Causes of severe water retention include a high salt intake, weight gain, kidney failure, chronic lung diseases, such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart problems, such as congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy, as well as liver problems.

Salt Intake

• High salt or sodium intake can lead to severe water retention. Too much will increase the blood pressure and cause swelling, typically in the ankles and feet. Since the kidneys regulate sodium, they will retain or excrete it as needed. However, when there's too much salt or sodium in the body, the kidneys will excrete a high amount to balance out the body's fluid volume. According to Water Retention Info, when the kidneys can't excrete enough sodium, the sodium begins to build up and subsequently begins to leak into the surrounding tissues.

Weight Gain

• A significant weight gain can also stem from severe water retention, because most food has sodium as an ingredient. When a person consumes a higher intake of food, he or she is also consuming a higher amount of sodium. The gain in weight also results from people turning to diuretics or water pills, which don't give accurate results in terms of weight loss. In fact, people will gain weight because reducing calories too quickly will force the body to use its stored carbohydrates and also break down the muscle's proteins.

Kidney Failure

• Chronic kidney diseases, such as kidney failure, also contribute to severe water retention because, as previously stated, the kidneys are responsible for the regulation of salt and water in the body. When a person is diagnosed with kidney failure, the kidneys can't properly excrete salt and water out of the body. This causes the retention of salt and water, leading to swelling throughout the body particularly in the abdomen, ankles, feet and legs.

Heart Problems

• Those with heart problems or diseases will also experience water retention. The reasons for this are twofold. According to Water Retention Info, the blood from the body that goes to the heart backs up, causing the fluid to leak into the lungs and veins. The heart fails to carry a proper amount of blood to the body. Because kidneys regulate the volume of fluid in the body, they will compensate the loss of blood flow with retaining salt and water.