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Related Experiment Videos

Pulmonary involvement in loiasis.

A D Klion1, E M Eisenstein, T T Smirniotopoulos

  • 1Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

The American Review of Respiratory Disease
|April 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Loa loa microfilariae in pleural fluid can cause eosinophilic pleural effusions. Antifilarial treatment with diethylcarbamazine effectively resolves symptoms and pulmonary issues in affected individuals.

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Area of Science:

  • Tropical medicine
  • Parasitology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Pleural effusion is a common clinical presentation requiring etiological diagnosis.
  • Loa loa is a filarial nematode endemic to West and Central Africa, known to cause various clinical manifestations.

Observation:

  • A 40-year-old West African male presented with acute pleural effusion.
  • Cytologic examination of pleural fluid identified Loa loa microfilariae.

Findings:

  • No other cause for the pleural effusion was identified.
  • Treatment with diethylcarbamazine, an antifilarial medication, resulted in rapid symptom resolution and improvement of pulmonary abnormalities.

Implications:

  • Loa loa should be considered a treatable cause of eosinophilic pleural effusions.

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  • This finding is particularly relevant for individuals from Loa loa endemic regions.
  • Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent prolonged morbidity associated with pleural effusions.