A man from Florida was found to have a dangerous tapeworm in his brain. He received treatment and was later discharged from the hospital for such.
Tapeworm in Brain
The man's medical history covered migraines, obesity, and a complicated type 2 diabetes. However, throughout the past four months, he observed that his migraines were increasingly becoming more severe and unresponsive to his typical medications for it.
He was then brought and admitted to a hospital. After an MRI, CT scan, and in-depth blood tests, it was clear that the man was facing a condition known as neurocysticercosis, which is an infection that is potentially life-threatening and that is caused by larval tapeworm presence in the brain.
For his case, the tapeworm that was specifically found in his brain was Taenia solium, which is a parasite that is found in pigs and that may be transmitted across humans through contaminated water and food. It is quite widespread across areas with poor sanitation and lower-income countries.
However, the man did not have any farm exposure to pigs or recent travel history. What was found is that he had quite a habit of eating undercooked bacon.
Nevertheless, doctors think that this alone would not have caused the infection. The doctors write in the case study, entitled "Neurocysticercosis Presenting as Migraine in the United States," that though it can just be speculated, the predilection of the patient for benign exposure and undercooked pork makes them favor that the man's condition was spread to him through improper handwashing after he contracted the tapeworm from his own eating habits.
This means that the man could have given himself the worm from the consumption of undercooked bacon and that he ingested some of its eggs from his feces accidentally.
For treatment, the man was administered antiparasitics and an anti-inflammatory treatment. He was eventually discharged.
Neurocysticercosis
Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic infection that can be prevented and that is caused by larval cysts of the Taenia solium tapeworm. Such larval cysts could infect different body parts and cause a condition called cysticercosis. In the brain, the larval cysts could lead to a type of cysticercosis, known as neurocysticercosis, which could trigger seizures. Neurocysticercosis is the disease's most severe form and could end up being gatal.
According to his doctors, the man's case shows that neurocysticercosis must be considered when an existing neuropathological condition shows presentation changes or needs therapeutic management changes, even though obvious risk factors are not present. They add that the presentation of the man's case is nonspecific and can be overlooked easily, especially with the presence of underlying known neurological conditions, like migraines.
Generally speaking, neurocysticercosis symptoms depend on the brain region where the larvae end up settling. For instance, seizures, which makes up 80% of cases, are among the most common presentations.
The doctors note that neurocysticercosis' clinical presentation can range from being asymptomatic to life-threatening.
On top of stressing how important it is to seek medical attention if one experiences severe or frequent migraines, the doctors also stress that such types of cases are a growing public health concern across the country. They note that, historically, it is unusual to come across infected pork across the US, adding that their case could yield implications for public health.
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