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Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is the result of a parasitic infection caused by three specific kinds of
round worms. The long, threadlike worms block the body's lymphatic system--a network of
channels, lymph nodes, and organs that helps maintain proper fluid levels in the body by
draining lymph from tissues into the bloodstream. This blockage causes fluids to collect
in the tissues, which can lead to great swelling, called "lymphedema." Limbs can
swell so enormously that they resemble an elephant's foreleg in size, texture, and color.
This is the severely disfiguring and disabling condition of elephantiasis. |