Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 103 | Published:Â 12 Oct 2026
John Boateng1,2,3,&, Linda Batsa Debrah1,2,3, Ute Klarmann-Schulz4,5, Alex Owusu-Ofori1, Janina Kuehlwein4,5, Caroline Wauschkuhn4, Franziska Lenz-Plet4, Vera Serwaa Opoku2, Monica Ahiadorme6, Jubin Osei-Mensah2,7, Patricia Jebett Korir4,5, Manuel Ritter4, Achim Hoerauf4,5, Alexander Yaw Debrah2,3,8
1Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, 2Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana, 3German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Partner Site Kumasi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, 4Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Germany, 5German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany, 6Department of Basic Sciences, School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana, 7Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, 8Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
&Corresponding author: John Boateng, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, Email: jhnboat2008@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1309-2840
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 13 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lymphedema, elephantiasis, diabetes, hypertension, comorbidities
©John Boateng et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: John Boateng et al., Triggers of acute adenolymphangitis and comorbidities in filarial lymphedema: Preliminary cohort findings from Northern Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):103. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-00103
Filarial lymphedema (elephantiasis) is a chronic, disabling condition affecting over 15 million people worldwide. Acute adenolymphangitis (ADL) attacks, characterized by fever, chills, and painful inflammation, contribute substantially to morbidity. These episodes are thought to be precipitated by bacterial entry through leg wounds or lesions, yet evidence on specific triggers and comorbidities remains limited. Understanding these factors is essential for improving patient care and supporting the World Health Organization’s Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF).
Of the 162 participants, 17 (10.2%) experienced ADL attacks during follow-up. Blood cultures were consistently negative for bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Most attacks (82.4%) occurred following injuries to the lymphedematous legs. Wounds or lesions were observed in 22.2% of participants, and among these, 36.1% were diabetic. Overall, comorbidities included hypertension (29.6%) and overweight/obesity (30.2%). Multimorbidity was present in 6.2% of participants, underscoring the complexity of care needs in this population.
Current findings indicate that leg injuries are the predominant triggers of ADL attacks in this population, while diabetes, hypertension, and other comorbidities pose additional challenges for management. These insights highlight the need for strengthened hygiene-based interventions, wound management strategies, and integrated approaches to comorbidity care, contributing to improved morbidity control within GPELF.
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