What term refers to swelling in the body due to injury or inflammation?

Edema is the term that specifically refers to swelling caused by an excess accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues, often as a result of injury or inflammation. When an injury occurs, the body's response includes vasodilation and increased permeability of blood vessels, allowing fluids to leak into surrounding tissues. This leads to the characteristic swelling associated with edema.

In contrast, a contusion refers to a bruise that results from blunt force trauma, leading to bleeding beneath the skin but not necessarily an accumulation of fluid in the tissues like in edema. A laceration is a cut or tear in the skin or tissue, which also does not specifically indicate swelling. Lastly, a hematoma involves a collection of blood outside of blood vessels, usually due to trauma, but it describes a different process from edema, as it specifically relates to blood rather than fluid accumulation.