Swollen ankles: causes and risks
Whether it is one-sided, sudden, painful, or accompanied by breathlessness or chest pain is especially important.
Common possible causes
- Prolonged standing, heat, or high salt intake
- Venous insufficiency
- A side effect of some medicines
- Heart, kidney, liver disease, or a blood clot
What you can do now
- Raise the legs above heart level when resting
- Walk regularly and avoid long periods of sitting
- Track weight, swelling, and any new medicines
- Do not stop prescribed medicines without advice
When not to wait
- Sudden one-sided swelling with pain or redness
- Breathlessness, chest pain, or coughing blood
- Rapidly increasing swelling or sudden weight gain
- Swelling in pregnancy with headache or vision change
When to contact a clinician
New or persistent swelling needs medical review, especially with heart, kidney, or liver disease or after a medication change.
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The swelling is in one/both legs, started…, pain yes/no, redness…, breathlessness yes/no, and my medicines are….