The MRI Scans of the brain of the patient showing the injury caused by the tapeworm
After a violent epileptic seizure was an 18-Year-old in India in the emergency room in hospital – two weeks later, the young man was dead. The reason: a tapeworm infection. The “New England Journal of Medicine” reported on Thursday about the case that took place in Faridabad in North India.
The parents of Teenageers reported to the journal that her son had previously had around a week of pain in the right groin. On examination, the Patient would have acted confused. The Doctors also found a swelling over the right eye and pressure pain in the right testicle of a young man.
MRI shows brain damage after infection with tapeworm
In the case of an MRI of his head, the doctors discovered damage in the cerebral cortex and other Parts of the brain. This was due to cysts that had formed as a result of a tapeworm infection – that is to say: The larvae of the parasite were stored in the brain. In ultrasound examinations of the right eye, and testis more cysts were discovered.
The Doctors started immediately with medication, the damage, however, were far advanced. The young Patient died two weeks later.
Infection with a tapeworm, for example, through the raw meat
Infection with a tapeworm is by eating raw or halbgarem meat, the worm larvae – such as the Beef tapeworm or Pork tapeworm. The Fox tape worm example, the consumption of soil can lead to near vegetables or fruit, on which the eggs of the worm are to a infection. How dangerous is a tapeworm infection for humans is, depends on various factors, not least the nature of the worm. More information there is, for example, the Robert Koch-Institute.
Only last year, a Chinese newspaper reported on the case of a 26-Year-old also had a tapeworm in the brain. For the young Chinese, things went well. The parasite was removed, the man survived with no lasting damage.
Sources: “The New England Journal of Medicine”, Federal centre for health education (1) (2), Federal Institute for risk assessment, Robert Koch Institute