Hanging groin and persistent pruritus in a patient from Burkina Faso.
Onchocerciasis is a filarial disease caused by Onchocerca volvuvus which can lead to skin, bladder or ocular signs. The authors report a 6-month history of generalized pruritus and two bilateral and symmetric masses in inguinal areas in a 57-year-old black woman. Skin snips and a biopsy of a subcutaneous nodule were diagnosed as onchocerciasis with hanging groin and the patient was treated with ivermectin with a dramatic improvement. If pruritus is the most constant symptom of onchocerciasis, hanging groin is usually observed only in hyperendemic areas in association with high microfilarial density. As no protective immune response is acquired after onchocerciasis, it is recommended that observation is maintained in communities where blindness is less common but where skin manifestations remain prevalent. There is a risk of misdiagnosing onchocerciasis owing to its long incubation period and its unfamiliarity to physicians in nonendemic areas.
Niamba
Pascal
P
Dermatology Unit, University Hospital, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. niamba_pascal@yahoo.com
Gaulier
Alain
A
Taïeb
Alain
A
D000818:Animals; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002050:Burkina Faso; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009854:Onchocerca / Q000187:drug effects; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D007559:Ivermectin