Background
Epidemiology
Clinical Presentation
- Often asymptomatic
- Most common symptom is Calabar swellings, a 10- to 20-cm painful, itchy subcutaneous swelling caused by migration of the adult worms
- The lesions are essentially angioedema in response to the worm
- Worms can also migrate to the conjunctiva, where they are visible
- Infection can be complicated by hematuria and proteinuria, as well as as encephalitis, precipitated by treatment during high-level microfilaremia
Management
- Must rule out high-level microfilaremia (>2500 microfilariae/mL) before considering medical treatment, due to the risk of encephalitis
