Filariasis Elephantiasis, Introduction, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatments
The article aims to give a clear understanding of filariasis elephantiasis, what causes the disease in a healthy person, and other important information you need to know.
Yashasvi Tyagi27 May, 2024
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Filariasis Elephantiasis, as the name suggests, is related to some disease that causes big inflammation. Are you curious to know how a person gets this disease and what symptoms it shows? Do you also want to know the diagnosis and treatments that can help to cure the disease.
This article will start by briefly explaining the disease and how it occurs. Then we will go into more detail about all its symptoms and problems. Finally, we will conclude that it can be treated and what should be done during such cases.Introduction
Filariasis is a lymphatic elephantiasis disease. The major reason for the disease is an infection from a parasite known as a roundworm or nematode transmitted to a healthy person when an insect with the parasite bites them. Wuchereria (W. bancrofti and W. malayi ) infects the person, and inflammation begins in the lymphatic vessels. This inflammation leads to the enlargement of lower limbs and groin area, indicating the disease's symptoms. The parasite can stay in the lymphatic tissues for years, and thus, the disease can stay for longer durations.Cause of Filariasis Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is a disease caused by a parasite of the family nematodes , which will start infecting once it enters the host's body. The parasite is spread by a vector, which is a female mosquito. The mosquito gets the parasite while biting an already infected person. The infected mosquito with the worm bites a healthy man and transmits the Wuchereria bancrofti ( filarial worm) into the body of a healthy person. The thread-like worm enters the human lymphatic system , develops into an adult worm, and starts living there. This disrupts the flow of lymphatic fluid into the body, and thus, inflammation occurs in the affected areas. The transmission depends on the number of infected individuals in an area which can lead to more infected vector mosquitoes and, in turn, increase the infection in healthy humans.Symptoms of Filariasis Elephantiasis
The infected person will show inflammation and swelling in their body parts. Generally, the inflammation occurs in the legs, groin, and arms, and sometimes the genital organs are also impacted, leading to deformities . The vessels of the lymphatic system are damaged in all individuals, whether showing symptoms or not. The vessel damage of lymph leads to an impaired immune system. It can increase the chances of bacterial infection at certain places, causing lymphoedema (swelling in tissues) and in highly advanced cases, the skin gets thickened. The skin and underlying tissues of these areas, generally of the lower limbs, may grow thicker, hard, and also become dry, causing it to look like elephant skin and hence the term elephantiasis . Individuals also suffer from extreme pain, fever, and chills. Filarial elephantiasis is a major cause of disability in many people.Diagnosis and Treatments
The diagnosis is usually made when the blood of an infected is collected at a specific interval when the parasite is highly active. Blood smear tests are done to check for larvae in an individual. Filarial elephantiasis is usually treated with the chief aim of eliminating the filarial worm from the body. The doctors advise certain medications to kill the worm preventing further transmissions to healthy hosts. People can prevent this disease by typically avoiding mosquito bites. Usage of anti-repellants, mosquito nets, preventing water to collect at a particular place, etc., is commonly advised to avoid being infected.Filariasis Elephantiasis <span style=
Name the worm which causes the disease Filarial elephantiasis.
Wuchereria bancrofti is a thread-like filarial worm causing filarial elephantiasis.
Why is the term elephantiasis used for the disease?
The filarial worm infection causes swelling, usually in the lower limbs. The affected people show highly swollen limbs with a thick and hard skin that becomes dry and cracked, similar to an elephant’s legs. Hence it is termed filarial elephantiasis.
How does filarial elephantiasis spread to healthy people?
Filarial elephantiasis is usually spread when a mosquito with the parasite or the Wuchereria bancrofti worm bites a healthy person. The worm is transferred to the bloodstream of the host, and then it enters the lymphatic system to live.
What are the signs of filarial elephantiasis?
The disease is characterized by swelling in the limbs and groin areas of the person. The hands, legs, breasts, and genital parts swell. The skin of the person in advanced cases, becomes thick, dry, and flaky looking like an elephant’s leg.
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