Some aspects of filarial disease.

Alagappan, V.; Harinarayan, C.V.; Kumaraswamy, V.; Thiruvengadam, K.V.

Indian Medical Gazette; 1983; 67; 55-58.

Wilcocks and Manson-Bahr defined filariasis as a morbid condition produced by certain nematode worms (filariae) mainly confined to the tropics and subtropics.

          In the Indian subcontinent, filariasis due to Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi are common and is of great public health importance, next only to malaria among the mosquito borne diseases. The former is distributed chiefly along the sea coast and along the banks of the big rivers (expect the Indus); it has also been reported from Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The latter has been chiefly reported from Kerala, Orissa, Madya Pradesh and Assam either occurring alone or overlapping with bancroftian filaria, Chatterjee, K.D., (1976).

          The endemic areas in Madras City and suburbs are Saidapet, West Mambalam, Poonamalle, Washermanpet, Vadapalani, Ayyanavaram and Vyasarpadi. It is estimated that about 400 million people are affected in the world. Both urban and rural population are equally affected.

          Wuchereria bancrofti (nocturnally periodic) constitutes 97.8% of the problem and the rest by Brugia malayi . The diurnally sub periodic W. bancrofti is found exclusively in Nicobar group of Islands, covering a population of about 2000.

          The main vectors of Wuchereria bancrofti are Culex fatigans and Aedes niveus, Park and Park (1976). The former are for the nocturnally periodic forms and the latter are for the diurnally sub-periodic forms.

It is planned to study:                 

1. The frequency of involvement of different limbs in filarial oedema and to study the anatomical basis of the bilaterality of scrotal oedema when it occurs and virtual non-occurrence of facial oedema, due to filarial lymphatic obstruction.

2. Estimation of total count, differential count, absolute eosinophil count, RBC

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