Elephantiasis or filariasis is a condition that needs to be watched out for, because it often causes no symptoms and is only detected when it has entered a chronic stage. By knowing the cause of elephantiasis, treatment can be done as early as possible.
Elephantiasis is often found in tropical countries, including Indonesia. Although most people with elephantiasis have no symptoms, this disease can cause swelling of the limbs and even permanent disability.
Causes of Elephant Foot Disease
Elephantiasis is caused by a type of filarial worm that attacks the lymph nodes. These worms can be transmitted from one person to another through the bite of an infected mosquito.
In the body, filarial worms can spread through blood vessels and lymph nodes. Furthermore, the worms will multiply in the lymph vessels and clog the lymph circulation, causing swollen feet.
Elephant Foot Disease Symptoms
The main symptom of elephantiasis is swelling in the legs. In addition to the legs, swelling can also occur in other body parts, such as the arms, genital area, and chest.
The development of elephantiasis disease can occur in several phases. The following is an explanation of the elephantiasis phase and the accompanying symptoms:
Asymptomatic phase
In the early stages, elephantiasis sufferers usually do not experience any symptoms. This makes the sufferer not realize that he has contracted elephantiasis, so it is too late to get treatment.
Although it does not cause symptoms, the worms that cause elephantiasis have caused damage to the lymphatic system, kidneys, and decreased immunity.
acute phase
The acute phase is characterized by local inflammation involving the skin, lymph nodes, and lymphatic vessels. This condition occurs as a response to the body's immune system against parasites.
Symptoms that appear in the acute phase include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and swelling of the legs. In men, swelling can also occur in the testicles.
Chronic phase
When elephantiasis develops chronically, it causes swollen lymph tissue and thickening of the skin on the feet. In men, this condition is also characterized by thickening of the skin of the testicles. Whereas in women, elephantiasis can cause swollen breasts and vagina.
Not only the feet that start to look big, sometimes elephantiasis is also accompanied by other symptoms, such as the skin feels stiff and hard, pain in the swollen area, chills, fever, and feeling unwell.
How to Handle Disease Elephantiasis
If you experience the symptoms of elephantiasis above, immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will perform a physical examination and blood tests. Blood tests are generally done at night because the parasite only spreads in the blood at night.
If the doctor has confirmed the diagnosis, the doctor can give you antiparasitic drugs that you can take, such as: albendazole, ivermectin, or diethylcarbamazine citrate.
These drugs are considered effective for cleaning the blood of parasitic worms while preventing their spread to other people. To eradicate adult worms, doctors can also prescribe medication doxycycline.
If the filarial worm infection has caused swelling in the scrotum or the eye, the doctor may suggest surgery.
Elephantiasis can be prevented by keeping the environment clean and of course personal hygiene. You can wear a shirt and long pants when traveling or outdoors and apply mosquito repellent lotion at night.
If your feet look swollen or experience symptoms of elephantiasis, immediately consult a doctor so that proper treatment can be done as early as possible.