[A patient with loiasis following a trip to Central Africa]

A 45-year-old man from the Netherlands who travelled a lot and who had visited Cameroon, amongst other places, presented a few months after his trip with transient unilateral swellings (so-called Calabar swellings), located on his forearms, hands, fingers and feet, and which were accompanied by pruritus, pain, signs of scratching, arthralgia, general fatigue and evident eosinophilia. The differential diagnosis included strongyloidiasis, schistosomiasis, filariasis (in particular loiasis) and hypereosinophilia syndrome. Loiasis was diagnosed by means of positive IgG4 serology against Loa loa. The patient was treated with albendazole and remained free of swellings after treatment.