[Filarian elephantiasis in French Polynesia (Wuchereria bancrofti var. pacifica). Health study on 274 subjects. I Epidemiological and Clinical aspects].

Twenty-five years after the fight started against Wuchereria bancrofti var. pacifica in French Polynesia and which was based upon mass chimiotherapy by diethylcarbamazine (Banocide), a survey realized in 1975 and 1976 among 274 patients with elephantiasis allows us to give precise details of the local clinical and epidemiological aspects. Since 1950 the number of clinical cases varies along with the parasitological incidence, but with a certain delay which is explained by the late and irreversible elephantiasis characteristics. The overall prevalence is actually low. However the occurrence of new cases, although very rare, is still possible. Among sick patients the lymphangitic crisis frequency whose aspect lead to evoke a bacterial participation, is low. Women are less frequently and less severely involved than men. Localisations are essentially restricted to the lower limbs. Several limbs are involved in approximately 50 0/0 of the cases. The scrotum involvement is rare, the one of the breast is found only once. Among men we can notice a 33 0/0 incidence of associated hydroceles. A past history of chyluria is not rare.