Brief Answer:
Needs investigation

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

common causes of -bilateral- feet and ankle swelling include:
- right or congestive heart failure
- venous insufficiency
- low albumin levels
- drugs

You should be tested for albumin, urea, creatinine, urinalysis and heart echo and venous ultrasound (triplex).
Low albumin levels that cause edema are usually due to kidney problems.
Calcium channel blockers are the most common drug related cause of ankle edema.
Gout is out of the question if you only have edema. Gout causes a much more intense clinical picture with redness, severe pain and fever.
Ulcers develop when the blood vessels are damaged and they can't transport enough nutrients and oxygen to the skin tissues.

I hope I've helped!
If you'd like further information, please let me know.

Kind Regards!

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Brief Answer:
Redness may mean a vascular problem is the cause

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

sometimes redness accompanies vascular problems so checking both the veins and arteries of the extremities would be helpful.
Inflammatory conditions (redness) that involve both extremities are not common.

Heart problems that create this sort of trouble include either a newly diagnosed heart failure (could be the result of an acute coronary syndrome, long-term uncontrolled hypertension etc) or a known but decompensated heart failure. A newly diagnosed heart failure is obviously the worst scenario because it heralds the diagnosis of a new heart event.
If it's the heart then -besides swelling- shortness of breath can become apparent and some findings detected with the clinical examination by the doctor.

All of the above is only a statistical approach. Investigation will confirm or exclude potential diagnoses.
I hope I've not used too much medical jargon!
If you need clarifications, please contact me again.

Kind Regards!

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Brief Answer:
no until treated

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

the answers were implied but I'll be explicit this time.
(1) Heart failure: the situation needs treatment. It would be very unlikely for a decompensated heart failure to stabilize. And of course it can get worse. How fast depends on the heart's condition that can't be assessed without echo. Heart damage cannot be reversed, but heart failure is not always about new damage to the heart. Most of the times the heart is presented with a higher than usual load it can't manage.
(2) Low albumin (kidney problems, etc): it depends on the cause. Low albumin is not a disease, it is a laboratory finding. It can be caused by various conditions. Some of them can be treated, others not. Some of them can get worse without treatment, with serious consequences for your health (like some cases of glomerulonephritis), others may be relatively stable. The reversibility also depends on the cause and treatment, so I can't be more specific about that.
(3) Venous insufficiency: it is usually a seemingly stable but actually progressively worsening condition. Rapid worsening may happen when thrombosis occurs which is usually one-sided. Venous insufficiency cannot get better because the venous valves cannot be rectified. Venous insufficiency normally cannot pose serious (life or death) matters for your health but it can be annoying and as time goes by cause ulcers and other conditions that may be difficult to treat. There are surgical approaches that may help with it, but is not reversible. Patients should avoid standing. Walking helps. Elevating the legs above the heart level also helps. The edema usually gets better at night when the patient is lying down and get worse during the day when the patient is standing.
(4) Drugs: the trouble is not really serious, unless the drug has caused heart failure decompensation. Stopping the drug reverses its effects. Depending on the drug there may be other effective approaches as well. Leg edema caused by amlodipine for example, can get better by changing the dose or the time of administration of the drug.

I hope I've been more clear this time!
If you still have questions, please use your follow-up questions.

Kind Regards!

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