DEAR DR. GOTT:
I would like to know if you have any information on elephantiasis. I was diagnosed with this affliction in May 2007.

DEAR READER:
I had my work cut out when I decided to answer your question.

Elephantiasis is a hardening and thickening of the skin caused by bacterial infections of the skin and lymph system. It is the result of several lymph system disorders.
The most common cause is Filariasis or Lymphatic Filariasis which is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic worms and affects over 120 million people in the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, the Western Pacific, Africa and parts of South America and the Caribbean. According to the CDC you CANNOT get infected within the United States.

It can also be caused by repeated contact with volcanic ash. [Read more...]