oedema

Any abnormal accumulation of fluid in tissues or cavities of the body; waterlogging of the tissues due to excessive loss of plasma through the capillary walls. It may be generalized (the condition once known as dropsy) or confined to one area, such as the ankles.

Oedema may be mechanical – the result of obstructed veins or heart failure – or it may be due to increased permeability of the capillary walls, as in liver or kidney disease or malnutrition. Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, a complication of cirrhosis, is known as ascites.