What causes elephantiasis of the legs?
Elephantiasis is also known as lymphatic filariasis. It’s caused by parasitic worms, and can spread from person to person through mosquitoes. Elephantiasis causes swelling of the scrotum, legs, or breasts. Elephantiasis is considered a neglected tropical disease (NTD).
What does elephantiasis look like in the legs?
An entire arm or leg may swell to several times its normal size resembling the thick, round appearance of an elephant’s leg. The skin of the affected areas usually develops a dry, thickened, pebbly appearance and may become ulcerated, pitted and darkened (hyperkeratosis).
Is elephantiasis curable?
There are medicines to treat elephantiasis. Your doctor may give you one called diethylcarbamazine (DEC). You’ll take it once a year. It will kill the microscopic worms in your bloodstream.
What is the treatment for lymphedema of the leg?
Treatment of lymphedema includes treating swelling and prevention of infections. Exercise, compression garments and pumps, manual lymph drainage, meticulous skin care, therapy and a healthy lifestyle can all help control your swelling.
Is there a vaccine for elephantiasis?
There is no vaccine and no treatment, only these drugs to prevent further transmission of the disease. Of all the people in the world in need of this preventative treatment, over 40% of them live in India.
What is the best treatment for filaria?
Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC), which is both microfilaricidal and active against the adult worm, is the drug of choice for lymphatic filariasis.
Can filaria be cured?
Since there is no known vaccine or cure for lymphatic filariasis, the most effective method that exists to control the disease is prevention.
Is elephantiasis permanent?
Infection is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system. The painful and profoundly disfiguring visible manifestations of the disease, lymphoedema, elephantiasis and scrotal swelling occur later in life and can lead to permanent disability.
What happens if lymphedema is not treated?
Left untreated, lymphedema can worsen and cause severe swelling and permanent changes to the tissues under the skin, such as thickening and scarring.
Is elephantiasis found in India?
The clinical manifestations of LF may vary from one endemic area to another. Generally, the most common clinical form of the disease is hydrocele, with lymphoedema and elephantiasis occurs less commonly. In India and neighbouring countries, both hydrocele and lymphoedema are common.
What foods to avoid if you have filaria?
Light diet consisting of older jowar, wheat, horse gram, green gram, drum stick, bitter gourd, radish, garlic and older red rice is beneficial. Milk and products, fish, jaggery, sweets and contaminated water must be avoided.
Absolutely yes, elephantiasis is treatable with medicine. Medications to treat lymphatic filariasis are most beneficial if used immediately after an infection disease, however they come with certain harmful unwanted side effects. Additionally, Elephantitis is hard to identify early.
What is Elephant Leg Syndrome?
Elephant Leg Disease (LF or elephantiasis ) is a group of infectious diseases caused by filarial worms which are transmitted by various species of mosquitoes. After being bitten by mosquitoes, the parasite (larvae) will spread and regard the network system, then lympa develops the disease.
How is elephantiasis transmitted?
Elephantiasis is caused by infection with the filarial worm, which is transmitted to humans by the mosquito and lives in the human lymphatic system. The disease is typically characterized by the thickened skin and grossly enlarged limbs that earn the illness its name.
How is elephantiasis contracted?
Elephantiasis is passed by female mosquitoes. If an infected female mosquito bites an individual, she may insert the worm larvae into the bloodstream. The worm larvae recreate and expanded within the bloodstream, where they could possibly exist for many years.