home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- $Unique_ID{BRK04344}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Yaws}
- $Subject{Yaws Breda's Disease Charlouis' Disease Frambesia Pian forest yaws
- leischmaniasis hemorrhagic pian verruga peruana bartonellosis Parangi Bouba
- leischmaniasis Gangosa Ogo Mutilans Rhinopharyngitis Mutilans Goundou Henpue
- Henpuye Gundo Anakhre}
- $Volume{}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (C) 1986 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
-
- 132:
- Yaws
-
- ** IMPORTANT **
- It is possible that the main title of the article (Yaws) is not the name
- you expected. Please check the SYNONYM listing to find the alternate names
- and disorder subdivisions covered by this article.
-
- Synonyms
-
- Breda's Disease
- Charlouis' Disease
- Frambesia
- Pian (note: pian is not the same as pian bois or hemorrhagic pian: pian
- bois is a synonym for forest yaws, a form of leischmaniasis; hemorrhagic pian
- is the same as verruga peruana, one of the manifestations of bartonellosis)
- Parangi
- Bouba
-
- Note: "forest yaws" is not a form of yaws; it is a form of leischmaniasis
- - see note with "pian")
-
- DISORDER SUBDIVISIONS:
-
- Gangosa (also known as Ogo and Rhinopharyngitis Mutilans)
- Goundou (also known as Henpue or Henpuye, Gundo, and Anakhre)
-
- General Discussion
-
- ** REMINDER **
- The information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for
- educational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnostic or treatment
- purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please
- contact your personal physician and/or the agencies listed in the "Resources"
- section.
-
-
- Yaws is a usually nonvenereal infectious disease caused by an organism
- related to syphilis. Skin, and later, bone lesions characterize the disease.
- It is common among children in the humid tropics of Africa, South and Central
- America, the West Indies, and the Far East, but is rare in the United States.
- Antimicrobial therapy can cure the disease, although scars are permanent.
-
- Symptoms
-
- Yaws occurs in three stages. In the first, which occurs in young children, a
- tumor-like growth appears where the infectious organism is implanted, usually
- on the lower leg or foot. The lesion grows, develops a crust, and disappears
- over a period of several weeks, leaving a scar.
-
- The second stage follows several weeks or months later. New, smaller but
- more numerous growths appear on the face, legs and arms, and around the anus
- and genitals. These lesions heal slowly, sometimes with relapses. On the
- soles of the feet, they may become keratotic (thickened and hard), and
- develop painful cracks and ulcerations, a condition called "crab yaws".
-
- The third or tertiary stage of yaws occurs only in some cases. Several
- years after the appearance of the lesions characteristic of the second stage,
- destructive lesions of the skin and bone may develop. Skin lesions are soft
- and tumor-like, or ulcerative, and can cause disfigurement of the face. Bone
- lesions develop from inflammation of the sheath covering the bones
- (periostitis), and cause pain and deterioration of the bone, especially of
- the tibia (one of the shin bones). Painful and destructive nodules may
- appear around the joints.
-
- Goundou is a painless but marked symmetrical swelling at the sides of the
- nose due to benign growth of bone and cartilage due to periostitis. It is
- accompanied by headache and nasal discharge. It is a manifestation of
- tertiary yaws.
-
- Gangosa, also a common manifestation of tertiary yaws and related
- diseases, consists of destruction of the nose, the nasal part of the pharynx,
- and the hard palate.
-
- Causes
-
- Yaws is caused by a spirochete (a microorganism) called Treponema pertenue.
- This organism is related to and visually indistinguishable from those
- responsible for venereal syphilis, bejel (endemic syphilis), and pinta. (For
- more information, please see articles in the database on these related
- diseases.) The infection is usually transmitted by direct contact with open
- lesions. In some areas, certain species of flies may transmit the disease.
- In rare cases, individuals acquire the disease through sexual contact.
-
- Affected Population
-
- Yaws occurs primarily among children in the humid tropics of South and
- Central America, Africa, East Asia, and the West Indies.
-
- Related Disorders
-
- The treponematoses (yaws, bejel (endemic syphilis), pinta, and venereal
- syphilis) are all caused by identical looking spirochetal microorganisms
- known as treponemas. They differ in distribution, mode of transmission, and
- clinical characteristics and course. (For more information on the above
- disorders, choose the following words as your search terms in the Rare
- Disease Database: bejel, pinta, and syphilis.)
-
- Therapies: Standard
-
- Therapy for Yaws includes antimicrobial drugs such as benzathine penicillin G
- usually heal lesions and eliminate Treponema pertenue. Such drugs can also
- be used preventively in family members and others in frequent contact with
- patients. Disfigurement and scars are permanent, however.
-
- Therapies: Investigational
-
- This disease entry is based upon medical information available through
- September 1989. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to
- keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and
- accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for
- the most current information about this disorder.
-
- Resources
-
- For more information on Yaws, please contact:
-
- National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
- P.O. Box 8923
- New Fairfield, CT 06812-1783
- (203) 746-6518
-
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- 1600 Clifton Road, NE
- Atlanta, GA 30333
- (404) 639-3534
-
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- 9000 Rockville Pike
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- (301) 496-5717
-
- References
-
- CECIL TEXTBOOK OF MEDICINE, 18th ed.: James B. Wyngaarden, and Lloyd H.
- Smith, Jr., Eds.: W. B. Saunders Co., 1988. P. 1723.
-
- THE MERCK MANUAL 15th ed: R. Berkow, et al: eds; Merck, Sharp & Dohme
- Research Laboratories, 1987. P. 132.
-
-