hydropic

hydropic

A doctor examines a patient with hydropic swelling in their legs.

Definition

Adjective: Relating to or affected by dropsy (edema), a condition characterized by an abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in the tissues or body cavities.

Usage Examples
  • (The patient showed signs of fluid retention causing puffiness.)
  • (Fluid-filled swelling was noted in the liver cells.)
  • (Kidney inflammation accompanied by fluid retention.)
Advanced Usage
  • "hydropic state": a medical condition marked by generalized edema.

    • The chronic heart failure patient remained in a hydropic state despite diuretic therapy. (The patient continued to have widespread swelling.)
  • "hydropic degeneration": a pathological process where cells swell due to fluid accumulation.

    • Hydropic degeneration of the renal tubules was evident under the microscope. (The kidney cells showed abnormal fluid buildup.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Hydrops (n): the medical term for dropsy; abnormal fluid accumulation.

    • Fetal hydrops is a serious condition involving severe edema in an unborn baby.
  • Hydropic (adj): (also spelled hydroptic in older usage, though rare).

Synonyms
  • Edematous: characterized by edema (swelling due to fluid).
  • Dropsical: affected with dropsy (an older term for hydropic).
  • Fluid-retentive: retaining excess bodily fluids.
Related Idioms

No common idioms exist for this highly technical medical term. However, in historical medical texts, one might encounter: - "to be in a hydropic habit": to have a constitutional tendency toward dropsy. - The patient was described as being in a hydropic habit, prone to periodic swelling. (The patient had a chronic predisposition to edema.)