Loa loa filariasis
| Loa loa | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | loiasis, loaiasis, Calabar swellings, fugitive swelling, tropical swelling, African eyeworm |
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| Loa loa microfilaria in thin blood smear (Giemsa stain) | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | infectious disease |
| ICD-10 | B74.3 |
| ICD-9-CM | 125.2 |
| DiseasesDB | 7576 |
| eMedicine | derm/888 med/794 |
| MeSH | D008118 |
Loa loa filariasis is a skin and eye disease caused by the nematode worm Loa loa. Humans contract this disease through the bite of a deer fly or mango fly (Chrysops spp), the vectors for Loa loa. The adult Loa loa filarial worm migrates throughout the subcutaneous tissues of humans, occasionally crossing into subconjunctival tissues of the eye where it can be easily observed. Loa loa does not normally affect one's vision but can be painful when moving about the eyeball or across the bridge of the nose. The disease can cause red itchy swellings below the skin called "Calabar swellings". The disease is treated with the drug diethylcarbamazine (DEC), and when appropriate, surgical methods may be employed to remove adult worms from the conjunctiva.
Filariasis such as loiasis most often consists of asymptomatic microfilaremia. Some patients develop lymphatic dysfunction causing lymphedema. Episodic angioedema (Calabar swellings) in the arms and legs, caused by immune reactions are common. Calabar swellings are 3–10 cm in surface non erythematous and not pitting. When chronic, they can form cyst-like enlargements of the connective tissue around the sheaths of muscle tendons, becoming very painful when moved. The swellings may last for 1–3 days, and may be accompanied by localized urticaria (skin eruptions) and pruritus (itching). They reappear at referent locations at irregular time intervals. Subconjunctival migration of an adult worm to the eyes can also occur frequently, and this is the reason Loa loa is also called the "African eye worm." The passage over the eyeball can be sensed, but it usually takes less than 15 min. Gender incidence of eyeworms have approximately the same frequency, but it tends to increase with age. Eosinophilia is often prominent in filarial infections. Dead worms may cause chronic abscesses, which may lead to the formation of granulomatous reactions and fibrosis.
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