Bizarre: 100 tapeworm eggs found in an 8-year-old’s brain who also suffered from epileptic seizures

The girl suffered from headaches and epileptic seizures due to the tapeworm infection

Debjani Arora | Updated: July 23, 2018 6:36 pm

Till now we had heard that parents of young kids are always concerned about worms infection in the intestine and for obvious reasons. The worms can act as parasites robbing the child of all the vital nutrients and leaving the kid malnourished. But never did we think these worms can take refuge in a young child’s brain. But there are bizarre things that can happen within the human body and today we heard the weirdest one that shook our disbelief. Doctors found some 100 tapeworm eggs in the brain of an eight-year-old girl from Gurgaon and the investigation wasn’t an easy one. Here are six signs and symptoms of the tapeworm infection every parent should know.

Previously the young girl complained of severe headaches and often had epileptic seizures for the past six months. Doctors diagnosed her with neurocysticercosis, a condition which is the result of accidental ingestion of eggs of Taenia solium (ie, pork tapeworm), usually due to contamination of food by people suffering from taeniasis. Neurocysticercosis is also is the most common parasitic disease of the nervous system and is the main cause of acquired epilepsy. It is also marked with cysts growth in the brain due to the infection. So concluding the case of neurocysticercosis doctors put the little one on steroids as her brain also swelled up.

However, it was not just about cysts. A CT scan revealed that the cysts were in fact 100 tapeworms that reached her brain through the bloodstream from the stomach. This is a very rare occurrence and it baffled the medical fraternity and the parents alike.

The girl was put on steroids for a prolonged period to reduce the swelling in the brain which led to weight gain and she ended up putting almost 20 kilos. The side-effects of which were breathlessness and immobility. But the heavy medications failed to put a stop to the epileptic seizures and headaches. Doctors said the treatment began by reducing her swelling with decongestants and later steroids. Gradually the tapeworm eggs were treated with anti-parasitic drugs. Eventually, she was able to walk and resume school.

“The scan of the girl’s brain showed more than a hundred white dots, formed due to tapeworm eggs. Such an infection is caused by accidentally eating foods infested by tapeworms. When eggs reach the brain through the nervous system, they cause neurocysticercosis, which is characterised by a severe headache, epileptic seizures and confusion,” Dr Praveen Gupta, director of the neurology department, Fortis Hospital in Gurugram. He added that at the time of admission she was almost unconscious due to these cysts and a large amount of swelling.

“Her treatment began by reducing her swelling with decongestants and later steroids and the tapeworms were treated by starting anthelmintic therapy with albendazole under observation. Later the steroids and antihelmintic therapy were weaned off. She lost all the weight gain and was able to walk and resume school,” said Dr Gupta. Here are five foods that can give you worms.

“We had absolutely no idea that our healthy and cheerful daughter could ever get such an infection. Fortunately, she got treated before the eggs could hatch and do more damage to her brain,” said the girl’s father. “Tapeworm infestation of the brain is caused by eating improperly washed fruits, vegetables and undercooked meat infected by the pork tapeworm,” said Dr Gupta.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: July 23, 2018 6:32 pm | Updated:July 23, 2018 6:36 pm

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