|
|
Article: Elephantiasis requires attention; DEAR DR. GOTT: I [Derived headline]
- Article from:
- The Intelligencer
- Article date:
- September 4, 2008
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Intelligencer. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Elephantiasis requires attention
DEAR DR. GOTT: I would like to know if you have any information on elephantiasis. I was diagnosed with this affliction in May 2007.
DEAR READER: I had my work cut out for me when I decided to answer your question.
Elephantiasis is a hardening and thickening of the skin caused by bacterial infections of the skin and lymph system. It is the result of several lymph-system disorders. The most common cause is filariasis, or lymphatic filariasis, which is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic worms and affects more than 120 million people in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, the Western Pacific, Africa and parts of South America and the Caribbean. ...