Elephantiasis
{{distinguish|Lymphatic filariasis}}{{short description|Enlargement and hardening of body parts due to swelling}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name = Elephantiasis
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| image = Gould Pyle 275.jpg
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| caption = Elephantiasis of the legs due to filariasis.
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| field = Infectious disease, general surgery
| symptoms = Swelling of the skin
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Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema).{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephantiasis|title=Definition of ELEPHANTIASIS|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}}{{Citation|title=elephantiasis|url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis|work=The Free Dictionary|access-date=2018-06-28}} It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of lymphatic vessels (lymphedema). It may affect the genitalia. The term elephantiasis is often used in reference to symptoms caused by parasitic worm infections, but may refer to a variety of diseases that swell parts of the subject's body to exceptionally massive proportions.
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Cause
Some conditions that present with elephantiasis include the following:
- Elephantiasis nostras, due to longstanding chronic lymphangitis.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
- 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.{{cite web|last1=Carlson|first1=Emily|title=Taking the 'Bite' Out of Vector-Borne Diseases - Inside Life Science Series - National Institute of General Medical Sciences|url=https://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidelifescience/vector-borne-diseases.html|publisher=publications.nigms.nih.gov|access-date=29 November 2016|date=27 March 2013|archive-date=28 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728010133/https://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidelifescience/vector-borne-diseases.html|url-status=dead}}
- Nonfilarial elephantiasis (or podoconiosis), an immune disease affecting the lymph vessels{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
- Leishmaniasis
- Elephantiasis, Grade 3 lymphedema, which may occur in people with breast cancer{{cite web|title=Lymphedema|url=https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/lymphedema/lymphedema-pdq |publisher=National Cancer Institute|access-date=29 November 2016|date=29 May 2015}}
- Genital elephantiasis, result of lymphogranuloma venereum{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
- Proteus syndrome, a genetic disorder best known as the condition possibly experienced by Joseph Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
Other causes may include the following:
- Repeated streptococcal infection
- Lymphadenectomy
- Hereditary birth defects
- Pretibial myxedema
Other diseases, such as the rare Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome, can initially be misdiagnosed as elephantiasis.
References
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External links
- {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Elephantiasis |volume= VIII | page=126 |short=1 }}
- {{cite web |title=Lymphatic filariasis |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lymphatic-filariasis |website=World Health Organization |access-date=1 June 2018}}
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Category:Symptoms and signs: Skin and subcutaneous tissue
Category:Diseases of veins, lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes