Which of the following is the medical term for swelling?

The term for swelling in a medical context is "edema." Edema refers specifically to the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues, which causes them to become swollen. This can occur in various parts of the body for numerous reasons, including injury, inflammation, or other underlying health conditions.

Understanding this term is crucial, particularly in fields related to diagnostics, as it often signals other medical issues that need to be assessed. While inflammation also involves swelling, it encompasses a broader range of responses that include redness, heat, pain, and loss of function, not just the fluid accumulation aspect captured by edema. Similarly, a hematoma is a localized collection of blood outside of blood vessels and is a different type of swelling, while a lesion refers to any abnormal tissue that has been damaged or diseased, which may or may not involve swelling.