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A 52-year-old man from Florida, who visited doctors due to persistent migraines, was diagnosed with a brain parasite.
The patient, whose name remains undisclosed, sought medical assistance when his chronic headaches worsened over four months, and his usual medications stopped working.
According to Dailymail on Friday, scans revealed multiple cysts and swelling in his brain, caused by a pork tapeworm laying eggs, likely contracted from consuming undercooked bacon.
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Despite not having travelled abroad or consumed raw foods, the patient developed neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection affecting various body parts, including the brain.’
The physicians treating him noted that his habit of consuming undercooked bacon could have caused the infection.
“Our patient’s lifelong preference for soft bacon may have led to instances of undercooked bacon consumption,’ the physicians wrote.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that there are between 1,320 and 5,050 cases of neurocysticercosis every year in the US.
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Neurocysticercosis typically occurs through ingesting tapeworm eggs from contaminated faeces, self-infection, or exposure to someone with a tapeworm.
Although more prevalent in rural areas of developing countries, such infections are rare in countries like the US or UK.
Symptoms range from confusion and balance issues to seizures, typically emerging months or years after infection.
The patient was treated with corticosteroids to reduce brain swelling, along with albendazole and praziquantel to eliminate the parasite.
Subsequently, his cysts resolved, and his migraines improved. This case study was documented in the American Journal of Case Reports.