Key points
- The most common symptoms of loiasis are itchy skin swellings and eye worms.
- Joint pain, fatigue, and itching across the body are less frequent.
![Anterior view of Loa loa filaria.](/filarial-worms/media/images/2024/05/loa-loa-1200x675-anterior.png)
Symptoms
As with other diseases caused by parasitic worms, many people who are infected with Loa loa never develop symptoms. But in those who do, the main symptoms are
- Itchy, non-painful body swelling that comes and goes, known as Calabar swelling.
- Eye worms, which crawl across the surface of the eye.
- Worms may be visible crawling under the skin.
Calabar swelling can show up anywhere, although it's more likely to happen near joints.
Although eye worms can be scary, they last a short time—often just a few hours—and cause little damage to the eye.
Less common symptoms include
- Itching all over your body
- Muscle pain and joint pain
- Feeling weak and tired (fatigue)
In rare cases, people with loiasis may experience
- Painful swellings of lymph glands
- Swollen scrotum, in men
- Inflammation of parts of the lungs
- Fluid collection around the lung
- Scarring of heart muscle
- Kidney damage, if infection continues for many years