eMedicine Specialties > Urology > Infections and Related Inflammatory Conditions
Hydrocele, Filarial: Follow-up
Updated: Jul 2, 2009
Outcome and Prognosis
Established filarial lymphedema is a progressive condition that tends to follow a stable course within 10-15 years of clinical presentation. No medical treatment has been proven to reverse this pathology; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are of utmost importance.
Future and Controversies
Because of the recent advances in medical treatment with single-dose therapies, global elimination of lymphatic filariasis is now considered possible. To interrupt transmission, districts where lymphatic filariasis is endemic must be identified and community-wide programs must be implemented to treat the entire at-risk population. Community education programs are necessary to raise awareness in affected patients.
In January 1998, the pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beecham (now Glaxo SmithKline) announced a massive donation program of albendazole (several billion doses) to support this effort. This donation was coupled with a decision by Merck & Co, Inc, to expand its ongoing ivermectin (Mectizan) donation program to include treatment of lymphatic filariasis.
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References
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Weekly epidemiological record. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2006.
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Further Reading
Keywords
filarial hydrocele, scrotal lymphedema, filarial worms, filaria, filariae, Filaria bancrofti, F bancrofti, Wuchereria bancrofti, W bancrofti, Brugia malayi, B malayi, Filaria malaya, F malaya, Culex pipiens, C pipiens, parasitic disease, parasitemia, parasite infection, filariasis, mosquito bite, lymphatic filariasis, nematode, roundworm, round worm, lymphangiectasia, filarial infestation, scrotal filarial infestation, skin sclerosis, elephantiasis, tropical eosinophilia, eosinophilic interstitial pneumonitis, chyluria, bancroftian filariasis, acute filarial lymphangitis, AFL, filarial dance sign, FDS
Follow-up: Hydrocele, Filarial