Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Elephantiasis (/??l?f?n’ta??s?s, -fæn-/ [el-uh-fuhn-tahy-uh-sis, -fan-]) is a disease that is characterized by the thickening of the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs and genitals. In some cases, the disease can cause certain body parts, such as the scrotum, to swell to the size of a softball or basketball.[1] (“Elephantitis” is a common mis-hearing or mis-remembering of the term, from confusing the ending -iasis — process or resulting condition — with the more commonly heard -itis — irritation or inflammation.) Its proper medical name is lymphatic filariasis.
Elephantiasis is often caused by microscopic, thread-like parasitic worms such as Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori, all of which are transmitted by mosquitoes.[2] The adult worms only live in the human lymph system.[3] Consequently, it is common in tropical regions and Africa. Obstruction of the lymphatic vessels leads to swelling in the lower torso, typically in the legs and genitals. It is not definitively known if this swelling is caused by the parasite itself, or by the immune system’s response to the parasite.
Alternatively, elephantiasis may occur in the absence of parasitic infection. This nonparasitic form of elephantiasis is known as nonfilarial elephantiasis or podoconiosis, and areas of high prevalence have been documented in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia.[4] The worst affected area is Ethiopia, where up to 6% of the population is affected in endemic areas.[5][6] Nonfilarial elephantiasis is thought to be caused by persistent contact with irritant soils: in particular, red clays rich in alkali metals such as sodium and potassium and associated with volcanic activity.[7][8]
Elephantiasis is associated in the public mind with “The Elephant Man”, the carnival stage name of Joseph Merrick. The name refers to the resemblance of the sufferer’s limbs to the thick, baggy skin on the limbs and trunks of elephants. However, it is now believed that Merrick’s deformity was not actually caused by elephantiasis, but by a completely different medical problem called Proteus Syndrome.
Treatments for lymphatic filariasis differ depending on the geographic location of the endemic area.[9] In sub-Saharan Africa, albendazole (donated by GlaxoSmithKline) is being used with ivermectin (donated by Merck & Co.) to treat the disease, whereas elsewhere in the world, albendazole is used with diethylcarbamazine.[9] Geo-targeting treatments is part of a larger strategy to eventually eliminate lymphatic filariasis by 2020.[9]
Another form of effective treatment involves rigorous cleaning of the affected areas of the body. Several studies have shown that these daily cleaning routines can be an effective way to limit the symptoms of lymphatic filariasis. The efficacy of these treatments suggests that many of the symptoms of elephantiasis are not directly a result of the lymphatic filariasis but rather the effect of secondary skin infections.
Also, surgical treatment may be helpful for issues related to scrotal elephantiasis and hydrocele. However, surgery is generally ineffective at correcting elephantiasis of the limbs.
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