How does LF affect children?
In
children, the infection from LF is usually symptomless and not clinically
detectable. The damage caused by adult worms in the lymphatic system
develops slowly, and it is generally not apparent until children are
four or five years of age. However, swollen lymph glands may be observed
as early as two years of age. At about seven years, about 30% of infected
children will start to show ultrasound-detectable, irregular ballooning
of the tiny walled lymphatic ducts and some will have noticeably swollen
lymph glands. |
A young girl
from Tanzania suffers from lymphodema of both legs.
© GSK |
Disease
progression in girls
By about 13 years, girls may start to show clinically visible signs
of infection of the lymph vessels in the leg. Further cumulative damage
to the lymphatic drainage system predisposes them to lymphoedema (an
abnormal accumulation of lymph fluid in the tissues causing swelling
of a limb). This may progress to elephantiasis (painful and disfiguring
swelling of the leg, arm, breast or genitals, up to several times
their normal size, with thickening of the skin) in adulthood.
|
A young boy from
Haiti who had to give up playing football because of lymphoedema of
his right leg.
© Haiti LF Elimination Programme
|
Disease progression
in boys
By about 11 years, boys may start to show detectable ballooning
of the lymphatic vessels in their scrotum. By about 13 years, they
may start to develop hydrocele - a fluid-filled, balloon-like enlargement
of the sacs around the testes. Scrotal nodules often develop in
adulthood and further bacterial infection can lead to massive enlargement
of the scrotum and gross deformation of the penis.
Less commonly,
boys may also develop lymphoedema and elephantiasis of the extremities,
similar to girls. However, the parasites in males seem to prefer
the lymphatics of the scrotum over those of the extremities. Thus,
genital disease is more common in males, and is the most common
of all clinical manifestations of LF. |
