Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema). 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.
Cause
Some conditions that present with elephantiasis include the following:
- 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.8
- Nonfilarial elephantiasis (or podoconiosis), an immune disease affecting the lymph vessels
- Leishmaniasis9
- Elephantiasis, Grade 3 lymphedema, which may occur in people with breast cancer10
- 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 the following:
- Repeated streptococcal infection11
- Lymphadenectomy12
- Hereditary birth defects13
- Pretibial myxedema
Other diseases, such as the rare Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome, can initially be misdiagnosed as elephantiasis.
External links
- "Elephantiasis" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. VIII (9th ed.). 1878. p. 126.
- "Lymphatic filariasis". World Health Organization. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
References
"Definition of ELEPHANTIASIS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"Definition of ELEPHANTIASIS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
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. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180728010133/https://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidelifescience/vector-borne-diseases.html ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"Lymphedema". National Cancer Institute. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2016. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/lymphedema/lymphedema-pdq ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩
"elephantiasis", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2018-06-28 https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/elephantiasis ↩