Diagnosis | Elephantiasis

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of elephantiasis can initially be made clinically. The criterion of irreversibility of the changes in the skin and underlying tissue must be present in order to be able to speak of elephantiasis. Much more important, however, is the diagnosis before elephantiasis occurs.

The earlier the disease of the lymphatic system is discovered, the sooner a therapy can be started to prevent the development of elephantiasis. Thereby, oedema (fluid retention) should be detected early. The risk of developing elephantiasis is present if the edema is due to diseases of the lymphatic system.

Infectious diseases in particular can be detected by means of anamnesis, the so-called patient interview, and laboratory tests. In the laboratory, the blood is tested for antibodies against the pathogens. In tropical regions, for example, the pathogens can be transmitted by mosquito bites and later cause diseases. The pathogens can then be detected in Laor.

I recognize elephantiasis by these symptoms

Elephantiasis is by definition associated with severe swelling of the affected area of the body. This is caused by chronic fluid retention. In addition, there must be changes in the skin such as hardening and thickening.

Characteristically, the symptoms begin with a soft swelling of the tissue. This leads to oedema, which is initially present on the back of the foot. If the skin is pressed there for a few seconds and then the pressure is removed, a dent is left in the tissue, which only disappears very slowly.

In the classic case of lymphedema, which is the precursor to elephantiasis, the toes are also affected by the edema. This results in so-called box toes: thickened, edematous toes. In addition, the stemmer sign appears, in which the skin can no longer be lifted off the toes due to fluid retention.Lymphedema is often accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the affected body region, usually the legs, and a feeling of tension, and pain in the affected body region can also occur.

Due to the pronounced oedemas, the blood circulation eventually becomes worse, so that the body region tends to be pale and cold. Gradually, skin changes develop and a so-called fibrosis (a connective tissue remodelling of the skin) occurs, making the skin harder and thicker. In the long run, the skin also becomes dry and cracked, and can also turn reddish or brownish.