What is the cause of swelling in feet?

Q: My wife and I have been in London for the past three months. Our blood pressure was OK a few months back. But from the last two days both of us find our left foot is slightly swollen. I suppose it is called pedal edema. The temperature has been unusually high here. How relevant is this? The swelling is subsiding now. What should we do to prevent this?

A:In answer to the query I have to state that it is not unusual for elderly people to have swelling in the feet which normally is the result of the inactivity and sitting about. However, having known that the patient having suffered from high blood pressure could have kidney disease which may be the cause for the swelling. It is also important to exclude the causes which are due to the low serum albumin. I suggest that the patient should get examined by a good physician so that he could narrow down the options to a few so that these could be thoroughly investigated and treated.