A man who silently suffered very embarrassing symptoms was finally cured after a diagnosis of shock.
The 72-year-old lived for 17 years with a severely swollen penis that made the organ appear partially erect at all times, as well as a swollen scrotum and left leg.
The unnamed patient was found to be infected with hordes of live microscopic worms causing chronic inflammation around his groin.
He lived in Switzerland but had moved from Zimbabwe 20 years earlier, where the infection is more common.
A man in Switzerland lived for 17 years with a very swollen penis due to parasitic worms (file image)
The man received anti-parasitic medication and two months after finishing the medication, his symptoms completely disappeared.
The story was revealed in a case report in the New England Journal of Medicine by doctors from the Basel University Hospital in Switzerland.
They said that when the patient came to them his inflammation levels were twice the normal range, suggesting a serious infection.
An antibody test came back positive for Wuchereria bancrofti, which are microscopic thread-like worms.
Infections are caused by mosquito bites, which transfer larvae into the bloodstream.
Once they are born, they travel to the lymphatic system, a circulatory network used to drain fluid. This takes them to other areas of the body, including the scrotum.
They then mature, mate, and produce millions of offspring.
The Zimbabwean patient was prescribed diethylcarbamazine and a single dose of albendazole, two powerful antiparasitic drugs that kill worms.
After two months of completing his medication, he was symptom free and negative for parasites.
Parasitic worm infections are relatively common in tropical and subtropical areas, including parts of Africa, Asia, and South America. They are not present in the US or the UK.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says people need to be bitten repeatedly by infected mosquitoes over several months to become infected.
The agency adds: ‘Short-term tourists have a very low risk.
“(But) people who live for a long time in tropical or subtropical areas where the disease is common are at the highest risk of infection.”
Typically, worms do not cause any symptoms.
But in some cases, damage to the lymphatic system causes fluid to begin to build up in the legs, causing lymphedema. In cases where there is a large swelling of the extremities, patients are diagnosed with elephantiasis.
In men, parasitic worms can also cause swelling in the genital area.
The swelling can become so severe that it causes disfigurement and mobility problems for those who suffer from it.
There are an estimated 100 million active infections worldwide, with the majority of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa.
