Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling.[1][2] It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of lymphatic vessels.[2] It may affect the genitalia.[2] The term elephantiasis is often used in reference to (symptoms caused by) parasitic worm infections,[1][2] but may refer to a variety of diseases where parts of a person's body swell to massive proportions.[2]
| Elephantiasis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elephantiasis of the legs due to filariasis. | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease, general surgery |
| Symptoms | Swelling of the skin |
Cause
Some conditions that present with elephantiasis include:
- Elephantiasis nostras, due to longstanding chronic lymphangitis
- Elephantiasis tropica (known as lymphatic filariasis), caused by a number of parasitic worms, particularly Wuchereria bancrofti. More than 120 million people, mostly in Africa and Southeast Asia, are affected.[3]
- Nonfilarial elephantiasis (or podoconiosis), an immune disease affecting the lymph vessels
- Leishmaniasis[2]
- Elephantiasis, Grade 3 lymphedema which may occur in people with breast cancer[4]
- Genital elephantiasis, result of lymphogranuloma venereum
- Proteus syndrome, a genetic disorder best known as the condition possibly experienced by Joseph Merrick, the so-called "Elephant Man."
Other causes may include:
- Repeated streptococcal infection[2]
- Lymphadenectomy[2]
- Hereditary birth defects[2]
- Pretibial myxedema
References
- "Definition of ELEPHANTIASIS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- "elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28
- Carlson, Emily (27 March 2013). "Taking the 'Bite' Out of Vector-Borne Diseases - Inside Life Science Series - National Institute of General Medical Sciences". publications.nigms.nih.gov. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- "Lymphedema". National Cancer Institute. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
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