About the data: We used the family income data from the 2013 American Community Survey. This counts only families, which the government defines as households with two or more people related by birth, marriage or adoption. The graph focuses on families living in the country's 30 most populous cities.
Congestive heart failure. When one or both of your heart's lower chambers lose their ability to pump blood effectively â as happens in congestive heart failure â the blood can back up in your legs, ankles and feet, causing edema. Heart failure can also cause swelling in your abdomen. Sometimes it can cause fluid to accumulate in your lungs (pulmonary edema), which can lead to shortness of breath. Cirrhosis. Fluid may accumulate in your abdominal cavity (ascites) and in your legs as a result of liver damage (cirrhosis).
Ankle edema is a swelling over either one or both ankles. Swelling of the ankles is quite common, especially if you have been travelling for a long duration. It occurs due to accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues of the ankle and feet, a condition referred to as ankle edema. As the amount of fluid accumulates, the swelling may rise up into the leg. Due to mans erect posture, the blood in the veins of the leg has to move against gravity towards the heart. This unidirectional flow of blood is ensured by the presence of valves in the veins and the contractions of the leg muscles.