Regular leakage of fluid in the tissues of blood. The lymphatic system is a network of pipes flowing through the body that fluid (called lymph) from tissues and empties back into the bloodstream. Fluid retention (edema) occurs when the fluid is removed from the tissue.

The two main categories of generalized edema include fluid retention, edema, when it occurs in the whole body and localized edema, when parts of the body are affected. The wide range of causes includes the body's response to heat, high salt intake, and hormones associated with the menstrual cycle. However, you should see your doctor rather than self-treatment, because the swelling can be a symptom of serious diseases such as heart, kidney or liver.

Symptoms
The symptoms of water retention may include:

Swelling of the affected body parts
* Feet, ankles and hands are often affected
* The pain of the body affected in May
* The joints are stiff in May
* Rapid weight gain in a few days or weeks
* Unexplained weight changes
* Under pressure to hold the skin of the draw for a few seconds (pitting edema)
* In other cases, the skin may not indent when pressed (non-pitting edema).
Read more water retention causes