[Systemic disease as cause of leg swelling].

Symmetrical leg swelling formed in the course of the years is a common and in most cases benign phenomenon that is mostly encountered in the aged population, especially in women. Venous insufficiency of the lower limbs is the most common cause of symmetrical leg swelling among those over 50 years of age. Diseases of the essential organs such as the heart, the liver and the kidneys are excluded during the initial stage. Pitting edema occurs both in venous insufficiency and in right-sided heart failure. Basic tests and drug history are usually sufficient to exclude a host of general causes of the edema.