Table 4.
Treatment for Lymphedema in First 3 Years of Follow-Up Among the 150 Respondents With Any Lymphedema in the First 3 Years: Overall and by Time Course
| Degree of Lymphedema | No. of Respondents With Lymphedema | Talked to Provider
|
Received Treatment*
|
Treatment Intervention (No. of respondents)
|
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Respondents | % | No. of Respondents | % | Exercise | Wrap | Sleeve | Pump | Elevation | Medication | Massage | Other | ||
| Any lymphedema | 150 | 119 | 79.3 | 71 | 47.3 | 55 | 28 | 37 | 8 | 40 | 23 | 47 | 16 |
| Mild lymphedema | |||||||||||||
| Acute mild† | 24 | 15 | 62.5 | 10 | 41.7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Chronic mild† | 20 | 13 | 65.0 | 7 | 35.0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Improving: mild → none† | 30 | 20 | 66.7 | 6 | 20.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Wax/wane: mild ⇆ none† | 26 | 24 | 92.3 | 14 | 53.8 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| Moderate/severe lymphedema | |||||||||||||
| Acute moderate | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chronic moderate | 10 | 9 | 90.0 | 6 | 60.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Improving: moderate/severe → mild/none | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 4 | 100.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Progressing: mild → moderate/severe | 10 | 8 | 80.0 | 6 | 60.0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Wax/wane: moderate/severe ⇆ mild/none (regardless of initial degree) | 24 | 24 | 100.0 | 18 | 75.0 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 4 |
*
Respondents were asked to respond (yes/no) to a list of specific treatments. Treatments are not mutually exclusive.
†
Lymphedema did not progress beyond mild.