Heartworm disease, caused by threadworms, has various symptoms including rashes, arthritis, blindness, and elephantiasis. Diagnosis is obtained through a finger prick test and treatment involves antiparasitic medication. Side effects may occur, and surgery can relieve elephantiasis fluid buildup.
Symptoms of heartworm disease include rashes, arthritis, and a form of blindness. Abdominal pain is also common. In many cases, a skin condition called elephantiasis also occurs. Fever, chills and headache are usually the first symptoms experienced.
Also written as heartworm disease, heartworm disease is a type of parasitic disease classified as an infectious tropical disease. This condition occurs when a human host becomes invaded by threadworms. There are nine species of worms which are divided into three groups which cause their own heartworm symptoms.
Lymphatic filariasis occurs from an invasion of worm species Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia timori, or Brugia malayi. These worms live in the human lymphatic system. Elephantiasis occurs in chronic cases of lymphatic filariasis. This symptom leads to a thickening of the skin and underlying tissue. The legs are usually affected, but the mucous membranes and ears can also be affected.
Symptoms of subcutaneous heartworm disease occur when African eyeworm, Guinea worm, Onchocerca volvulus species, or Mansonella streptocerca species invade the subcutaneous layer of skin. It is the form of invasion that can lead to blindness if left untreated for too long. Common symptoms of this form are rashes and other skin-related conditions. The species Onchocerca volvulus causes onchocerciasis, or river blindness.
The third group, severe cavity filariasis, occurs when Mansonella ozzardi or Mansonella perstans species occupy the serous cavity located in the abdomen. The most common heartworm symptoms of this form include abdominal pain. In some cases, abdominal pain may accompany a subcutaneous invasion, which causes some confusion.
When heartworm symptoms begin to appear, a definitive diagnosis is obtained with a finger prick test. The small amount of blood is used with a film smear. The test is done at crucial times when the presence of filariasis worms is highly detectable, which is based on the type of insect that transmitted the worms.
Many species of worms are transmitted to humans through contact with a biting insect, such as a mosquito or deer. Some species do not rely on blood for transportation. To test these species, a skin shear is used, which is not based on time restrictions.
After diagnosis, treatment is needed to kill the worms. Antiparasitic medications will kill the parasites and larvae. The dosage starts low and is increased gradually to avoid too many parasites dying all at once.
Side effects of the drug and the death of the parasite include nausea, vomiting, weakness and body aches. Some patients may also experience dizziness, asthma, lethargy and headaches. Elephantiasis cannot be reversed, but surgery can relieve the fluid buildup that can occur.
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