ANASARCA, in Medicine, a type of universal Dropsy, wherein the whole Substance of the Body is swollen or bloated with watery Humours. See DROPSY. The Anasarca is otherwise called Leucophlegmatia. See LEUCOPHLEGMATIA. The Word is formed from the Greek ἀνάσαρκος (anasarkos, swollen).
In an Anasarca, the Legs swell at the beginning, especially towards Night, and then pit remarkably: The Urine is pale, the Appetite decays; at length, the Swelling rises higher and appears in the Thighs, Belly, Breast, Arms. The Face becomes pale and cadaverous; the Flesh soft and lax; a difficulty in Respiration comes on, attended with a slow Fever, etc.
