18-Year-Old Suffering From Tapeworm Infection In Brain Dies
- 5 years ago
An 18-year-old in India who was suffering from a tapeworm infection passed away not long after being diagnosed.
An 18-year-old in India who was suffering from a tapeworm infection passed away not long after being diagnosed, according to a case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday. Live Science reports that the teen was taken to an emergency room after experiencing seizures that rendered him unconscious and caused muscle stiffness. He was also found to have cysts over his right eye and on his testes. An MRI revealed numerous cysts on various parts of his brain. He was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, which is caused by pork tapeworm larvae that make their way to the brain and other parts of the body. Due to the severity of his case, the doctors decided not to administer anti-parasitic treatments for fear they would cause a loss of vision. Instead, the teen was given anti-epileptic medications and steroids, notes CNN. The combination did not work as hoped, and the patient died two weeks later.
An 18-year-old in India who was suffering from a tapeworm infection passed away not long after being diagnosed, according to a case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday. Live Science reports that the teen was taken to an emergency room after experiencing seizures that rendered him unconscious and caused muscle stiffness. He was also found to have cysts over his right eye and on his testes. An MRI revealed numerous cysts on various parts of his brain. He was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, which is caused by pork tapeworm larvae that make their way to the brain and other parts of the body. Due to the severity of his case, the doctors decided not to administer anti-parasitic treatments for fear they would cause a loss of vision. Instead, the teen was given anti-epileptic medications and steroids, notes CNN. The combination did not work as hoped, and the patient died two weeks later.