Lymphedema is a disease of the lymphatic system, a body process responsible for eliminating toxins and other unneeded materials from the body. It is the result of an excess of lymph fluid, a transparent, colorless material consisting of white blood cells that moves through associated vessels and nodes. Causes vary but it is most commonly diagnosed as a byproduct of cancer treatment and/or radiation, as components of the lymphatic system are often removed or harmed during this process.
The history of this affliction is clearly tied to the discovery and ensuing knowledge and research of the lymphatic system itself. Due to the fact that so much of the lymph system has been invisible to physicians and those working in anatomy throughout the ages, it is unsurprising that the condition of lymphedema has also only recently begun to be recognized and understood.
In perhaps the first pictorial description of lymphedema, Princess Ati of Egypt is shown with oversized arms and thighs in a relief sculpture done almost 3500 years ago. While she may have been prescribed enemas and emetics to induce waste removal, in the tradition of Egyptian customs of the times, modern treatments have not come much further along, as there is still a lack of a cure. Common physical symptoms include swelling in the extremities, limited range of motion, pain or discomfort, and feelings of weightiness and tension.
Hippocrates mentioned the lymph nodes located in the groin and armpits in writings around the 5th century BC. An Egyptian, Herophilus, was the next person to identify this system about 300 years later, when he determined the existence of the intestinal lymph components, probably by doing surgery on a live subject. It took an additional 300 years before Galen, a Roman doctor, began exploring this important network in the body. A remarkable 1,400 years passed following this before Batolomeo Eustachi found the thoracic duct, the most sizable lymph vessel in the body.
It wasn’t until the mid-1600s when experts studying anatomy in several European countries completed a series of studies exploring the lymph system in its entirety. Since then, and with the advances in technology allowing for a better view of all internal systems, there have been many breakthroughs in the understanding of the system and lymphedema as a condition. As recently as 1985, this disease was fairly under the radar in the medical community. Even today, many medical professionals are misinformed or under-equipped to diagnose and/or relieve the associated symptoms. The current widely accepted treatment is Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) and involves a combination of compression methods (including compression garments), remedial movements and manual lymph drainage, among other techniques.
