Elephantitis

Let’s learn about

Elephantitis

Elephantitis is a rare disease that affects some of the world’s population.  Most recently, you probably have heard it being discussed on the news or perhaps seen a television show documenting a man duped as the, “Elephant Man.”  Chances are, the first time you actually see someone with this disease, whether you see them in person or you see elephantitis pictures, you will be shocked speechless.  The disease is most characterized by the thickening of the skin most often in the legs and commonly in the male gentials, which is often referred to as elephantitis balls.  In this aforementioned case, one’s testicles can often swell to the size of a basketball.  It is a quite painful and embarrassing condition, to say the least.  Your heart literally breaks when you see the affected patients who have elephantitis.

Most people don’t know this, but the proper term for the disease is not in fact, elephantitis at all.  The ending, “-itis” refers to inflammation or irritation.  The correct ending would be, “-iasis” which refers to the process or resulting condition.  Elephantitis when spelled like that, literally means inflammation of the elephant.  Elephantiasis, on the other hand is the proper scientific way to display it and is said to be caused by podoconisosis filariasis.  As we discusses earlier, it is likely that the lower half of the body is the part that will be affected with this life altering disease.  One can easily see why the term, elephant is included in the name of the disease.  When suffering with this medical condition, one’s legs actually resemble that of elephants.  The causes of elephantitis are quite complicated when one takes a closer look.  Elephantiasis happens in parasitic worms which are carried by nasty mosquitos, but the disease itself occurs as a result of a complex chain of actions and reactions.  The factors involved in the chain include the worms, the mosquitos, the bacteria carried by the worm, the immune response by the human, and varied infections as a result of all of the aforementioned things.

Doctors around the world are looking for ways to prevent this terrible elephantitis disease.  Many medical experts expect that by the year 2020 they will have be able to eliminate the disease successfully.  Already thousands of children have been spared from the horrible elephantitis., because of thousands of hours of research into the mysterious condition.  You might not be aware of this fact, but elephantitis is actually one of the most common causes of disability around the world.  In areas where it is prevelant, up to fifty percent or more of males can be affected with testicular elephantitis.

Elephantitis Pictures

Elephantitis pictures

are not hard to come by.  Just do a quick internet search and bam, you’ll be overwhelmed with various images all showing you people who have been diagnosed with elephantitis disease.  Some images show people who have bared it all in the name of science and understanding, I suppose.  There are pictures of elephantitis balls, which is what the doctors call it when patients have this disease that effects their male genitals.  One word of caution, make sure you have a tough stomach and mind before you view these elephantitis pictures.  Your mouth will most likely hit the floor when you first see these images of men and women, most bed ridden by this serious condition.  Their limbs, usually just legs and genitals become severely swollen.  The affected male testicles can become the size of a basketball, which is quite unbelievable until you actually see elephantitis pictures and realize that they are no joke.  They have not been doctored in any way.  They are as real as real can get, which makes them all the more scary.

Doctors who have been studying elephantitis causes for many years know that the main culprit in this body-image altering disease are infection carrying mosquitos.  The disease is mainly prevelant in tropical third world countries.  It is not very common in the U.S.  There was most recently a television program on the TLC network which documented one man’s journey and struggle with elephantitis.  This up close and personal look at the condition was even more disheartening than merely looking at elephantitis pictures.  When watching  you felt like you could really put yourself in this man’s shoes.  To watch him, the elephant man, as he visits the hospital and doctors is to take a step out your own reality and make you really appreciate your own health and abilities.  It is unfortunate that many us of take some of the most precious gifts for granted.  The ability to walk without discomfort.  The ability to walk anywhere in public without having everyone gawk at you and literally stare for what must seem like an eternity, all because you have elephantitis.  Most shameful is when people actually want to take elephantitis pictures and without even asking him, snap their shots right out in the open with no regard for his feelings.

We all curious and knowledge is power, so for that reason, we do share with you here on our site, elephantitis pictures.

Elephantitis Causes

Elephantitis Causes

are not that well known as of yet, but everyday scientists and doctors are learning more and more.  They can more or less pinpoint the cause of elephantitis to be from bacteria and infection carrying mosquitos, but it is quite a bit more complicated than just that alone.  It takes a whole chain reaction of events to cause elephantitis.  We won’t get too scientific here for the purposes of this site.  We’ll try to keep all information in simplest form so the average reader will be able to benefit from reading the information.  If you want to see elephantitis pictures, you may do so here as well.  We will be adding more and more each day, so bookmark our site so you never miss a beat.

Elephantitis causes like stated occur in microscopic parasitic worms that are thread like.  These parasites are transmitted by way of mosquitos.  Aren’t they such filthy creatures?  Always harvesting and carrying around disease.  The most common places for this chain of events to occur happens to be in tropical humid clients, most prevalent in places on the continent of Africa.  It is known that the adult worms only live in the lymphatic system of us human beings, pretty scary if I do say so myself.  We must also state though for the record, that elephantiasis may also occur without their being any parasite infection. This type of elephantiasis is known as “nonfilarial elephantiasis” or “podoconiosis.”  The third world county of Ethiopia in Africa has been found to have the most cases of this type of elephantitis.  It is estimated that as much as six percent of that country’s population suffers with the devastating disease.

Elephantitis causes are still being studies and prevention is the most important aspect of the situation.  Doctors are trying their best to inform and educate the populations that suffer with the disease, since knowledge is power.  Additionally, clean water supplies will help to eliminate and possibly eradicate the elephantitis disease.  Where there is unclean water that is stagnant, there usually without a doubt lies mosquitos, which as we’ve pointed out are the carries of these parasitic worms that bring this deadly and life-altering disease, elephantitis.