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Although lymphedema has afflicted children and adults for centuries, little understanding about the disease of the lymphatic system has existed until relatively recently. Not until 1934 was primary lymphedema described as a clinical entity, and it is only in the past 10 to 15 years that have therapists and clinicians have begun to focus more vigorously on its treatment.
According to the World Health Organization, lymphedema affects over 250 million people worldwide. Others estimate that 1 in 25 people will suffer from some form of lymphedema in their lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 400,000 of the 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States cope with lymphedema. In the industrialized world, the rate of cancer and venous disease continues to climb each year. Along with it, the incidence of lymphedema has skyrocketed.
Despite these startling numbers, research into the causes and treatments of lymphedema has been almost non existent until recently. Even today, with the advanced medical technology available, neither the condition nor the lymphatic system itself is completely understood. The unfortunate result of this lack of knowledge is that far too many patients are being left untreated and may therefore suffer a lifetime of unnecessary pain and discomfort.
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