Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (

edema Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. S ...

). It is characterised by edema,

hypertrophy Hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. It is distinguished from hyperplasia, in which the cells remain approximately the same size but increase in number. Although hypertro ...

, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of

lymphatic vessels The lymphatic vessels (or lymph vessels or lymphatics) are thin-walled vessels (tubes), structured like blood vessels, that carry lymph. As part of the lymphatic system, lymph vessels are complementary to the cardiovascular system. Lymph vessel ...

(

lymphedema Lymphedema, also known as lymphoedema and lymphatic edema, is a condition of localized edema, swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system. The lymphatic system functions as a critical portion of the body's immune system and returns inters ...

). 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. __TOC__

Cause

Some conditions that present with elephantiasis include the following: * Elephantiasis nostras, due to longstanding chronic

lymphangitis Lymphangitis is an inflammation or an infection of the lymphatic channels that occurs as a result of infection at a site distal to the channel. It may present as long red streaks spreading away from the site of infection. It is a possible medic ...

. *

Elephantiasis tropica Lymphatic filariasis is a human disease caused by parasitic worms known as filarial worms. Usually acquired in childhood, it is a leading cause of permanent disability worldwide, impacting over a hundred million people and manifesting itself in ...

(known as lymphatic filariasis), caused by a number of parasitic worms, particularly ''

Wuchereria bancrofti ''Wuchereria bancrofti'' is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that is the major cause of lymphatic filariasis. It is one of the three parasitic worms, together with ''Brugia malayi'' and '' B. timori'', that infect the lymphati ...

''. More than 120 million people, mostly in Africa and Southeast Asia, are affected. * Nonfilarial elephantiasis (or podoconiosis), an immune disease affecting the lymph vessels *

Leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by protozoal parasites of the Trypanosomatida genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of Phlebotominae, phlebotomine Sandfly, sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' an ...

* Elephantiasis, Grade 3

, which may occur in people with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

* Genital elephantiasis, result of lymphogranuloma venereum *

Proteus syndrome Proteus syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that can cause tissue overgrowth involving all three Germ layer, embryonic lineages. Patients with Proteus syndrome tend to have an increased risk of embryonic tumor development.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ...

, a genetic disorder best known as the condition possibly experienced by

Joseph Merrick Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...

, the so-called Elephant Man Other causes may include the following: * Repeated streptococcal infection * Lymphadenectomy * Hereditary birth defects * Pretibial myxedema Other diseases, such as the rare

Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome, formerly Klippel–Trénaunay–Weber syndrome and sometimes angioosteohypertrophy syndrome and hemangiectatic hypertrophy, is a rare congenital medical condition in which blood vessels and/or lymph vessels fail to f ...

, can initially be misdiagnosed as elephantiasis.

References

External links

* * {{Medical resources , DiseasesDB = , ICD10 = {{ICD10, I89.0 , ICD9 = , ICDO = , OMIM = , MedlinePlus = , MeSH = , GeneReviewsNBK = , GeneReviewsName = Symptoms and signs: Skin and subcutaneous tissue Diseases of veins, lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes