Filariasis (patient information)

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Filariasis

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Filariasis?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Filariasis On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Filariasis

Videos on Filariasis

FDA on Filariasis

CDC on Filariasis

Filariasis in the news

Blogs on Filariasis

Directions to Hospitals Treating Filariasis

Risk calculators and risk factors for Filariasis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ahmed Elsaiey, MBBCH [2]

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Overview

Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms. The adult worms only live in the human lymph system. The lymph system maintains the body's fluid balance and fights infections.Filariasis affects over 120 million people in 73 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and parts of the Caribbean and South America. You cannot get infected with the worms in the United States.

What are the symptoms of Filariasis?

  • It can be asymptomatic.
  • Elephantiasis (frequently in the lower extremities)
  • Scrotal swelling
  • Nocturnal cough
  • Fever
  • Malaise
  • Headache
  • Chills
  • Subcutaneous lumps
  • Pruritis
  • Lymphadenitis

What causes Filariasis?

Filariasis is caused by parasitic organisms called nematodes or round worms. They include:

  • Brugia malayi
  • Brugia timori
  • Loa loa
  • Mansonella ozzardi
  • Mansonella perstans
  • Mansonella streptocerca
  • Onchocerca volvulus
  • Wuchereria bancrofti

Who is at highest risk?

  • Repeated mosquito bites over several months to years are needed to get lymphatic filariasis.
  • People living for a long time in tropical or sub-tropical areas where the disease is common are at the greatest risk for infection.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

The standard method for diagnosing active infection is the identification of microfilariae by microscopic examination. This is not always feasible because in most parts of the world, microfilariae are nocturnally periodic, which means that they only circulate in the blood at night. For this reason, the blood collection has to be done at night to coincide with the appearance of the microfilariae.

Serologic techniques provide an alternative to microscopic detection of microfilariae for the diagnosis of lymphatic filariasis. Because lymphedema may develop many years after infection, lab tests are often negative with these patients.

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Filariasis?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Prevention

Avoiding mosquito bites is the best form of prevention. The mosquitoes that carry the microscopic worms usually bite between the hours of dusk and dawn. If you live in or travel to an area with lymphatic filariasis:

  • Sleep under a mosquito net.
  • Wear long sleeves and trousers.
  • Use mosquito repellent on exposed skin between dusk and dawn.

Videos

Sources


Template:WikiDoc Sources