Disorders Caused Due to Filarial Disease

The following points highlight the three major disorders caused due to filarial disease. The disorders are: 1. Elephantiasis 2. Hydrocele 3. Chyluria.

Disorder # 1. Elephantiasis:

The condition is due to hyper­plasia of skin and connective tissue, specially involving scrotum, legs and arms. Elephantiasis is the result in many cases of filariasis where in pro­fuse development of skin occurs on account of hyperplasia, producing solid formation of tumour like consistency.

This is partly due to the inflamma­tion of the walls of the lymphatics and the conse­quent hyperplasia and partly due to mechanical blockage by the worms. The causative organism from this disease is a nematode, Wuchereria ban­crofti, commonly called the filarial worm.

These tiny worms reside in lymphatic system and con­nective tissues of the body and are also present in circulation at night. Swelling as well as enlarge­ment occurs owing to blockage of lymph circu­lation by parasitic worms, resulting into inflamma­tion of lymph nodes, lymph vessels and lymph glands. Elephantiasis of leg and scrotum is the predo­minant lesion in Pacific, India and China but less common in West Africa.

Disorder # 2. Hydrocele

Hydrocele (forcing of lymph into the tunica vaginalis of the testis or spermatic cord) is a condition which may occur with accom­paniment of elephantiasis of scrotum and involves lymphatics of epididymis and testicles.

Hydrocele results from obstruction of para-aortic lymph- nodes which causes interference of lymph drainage from tunica vaginalis, epididymis and spermatic cord. Hydrocele may contain microfilariae which die in unsuitable environment. The thickened wall may reveal adult worms in living and dead condi­tions and may even be in calcified state. Hydrocele is mainly found in East Africa, Japan, China but is not so common in India and in the Pacific.

Disorder # 3. Chyluria:

Discharge of chyle through urine, owing to rupture of varicose chyle-vessels through the mucous membrane of the urinary tract. The urine in this case is milk-white in colour contain­ing albumen, fat, fibrinogen, lymphocytes, erythro­cytes and even microfilaria is found in the dis­charge. Chyluria is absent in case of B. malayi. This disease is highly prevalent in Japan, China and South-India but less common in Africa and Pacific.