Final answer:
Edema is the accumulation of excess water in bodily tissues, often detected through a 'pitting' test and can result from factors such as hypoalbuminemia or chronic liver disease affecting fluid balance and colloid osmotic pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Edema is the accumulation of excess water in the tissues. It mainly affects the soft tissues of the extremities and can be identified by the presence of swelling, increased limb size, and stretched tight skin. One diagnostic technique for edema is the "pitting" test, where a depression made by pressing a finger into the swollen area persists for several seconds after the pressure is released. This condition could arise due to various factors, including but not limited to, fluid balance issues, inflammatory responses, liver disease that leads to hypoalbuminemia, use of certain drugs, or as a symptom of another underlying medical condition.
Deficiency of albumin, a chief protein that regulates water content within the tissues, can lead to edema. This deficiency is often indicative of fluid balance disorders that disrupt the osmotic pressure in the capillaries. When the liver is unable to manufacture plasma proteins, due to chronic and severe liver disease, there's a decrease in the colloid osmotic pressure that typically counterbalances hydrostatic pressure, leading to the leakage of water from the blood into surrounding tissues, thereby causing edema.