Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema).

[1][2] It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of lymphatic vessels (lymphedema).

[2] It may affect the genitalia.

[2] The term elephantiasis is often used in reference to symptoms caused by parasitic worm infections,[1][2] but may refer to a variety of diseases that swell parts of the subject's body to exceptionally massive proportions.

[2] Some conditions that present with elephantiasis include the following: Other causes may include the following: Other diseases, such as the rare Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome, can initially be misdiagnosed as elephantiasis.