Date of Award
4-8-2013
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) impair physical and cognitive development. This impairment makes it difficult to earn a living, restricts quality of life, and limits productivity in the work force. As a result, neglected tropical diseases trap the poor in a cycle of disease and poverty. Lymphatic filariasis (LF), also known as elephantiasis, is an NTD. It starts when microscopic, thread-like parasitic worms (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia timori, and Brugia malayi) are transmitted by mosquitoes. These worms infect and block the lymph nodes in the body, causing edema. Blockage in the lymphatic system and build-up of tissue and blood flow often occur in the lower torso, but there are some cases when swelling is found in the upper body. No vaccines have been developed, but other treatments have been found. In my thesis, I discuss current treatments and explain the lack of vaccines to date. Currently, 73 countries are endemic with the disease; two-fifths of the cases occur in Africa, one-third in India, and the rest in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. I consider whether LF is sex or gender related, and how the biological and sociological aspects of a population are more prone to the disease. LF is important because it is one of the most common tropical diseases, affecting 120 million people around the world.
Recommended Citation
Nazari, Arezoo '13, "A Climate for Swelling: The Social & Biological Impacts of Lymphatic Filariasis on Males & Females in Developing Countries" (2013). Honor Scholar Theses. 297, Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/studentresearch/297
Included in
International Public Health Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Parasitic Diseases Commons