Man finds out migraines caused by brain tapeworms; undercooked bacon may be culprit
A man was hospitalized with worsening migraines only to find out they were caused by tapeworm larvae in his brain — and researchers believe undercooked bacon was the source.
A man was hospitalized with worsening migraines only to find out they were caused by parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain — and researchers believe he was infected by eating undercooked bacon.
The unidentified 52-year-old American man consulted doctors about changes in his usual migraines over four months, according to a study in the American Journal of Case Reports published Thursday. The migraines became more frequent, severe and unresponsive to medication.
The patient was admitted to the hospital for testing. CT scans revealed numerous cystic foci, which are fluid-filled sacs in the brain. Cysticercosis cyst antibody tests returned positive, and the man was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, the study said.
Neurocysticercosis is a form of the parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the pork tapeworm found in the brain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
A person contracts cysticercosis by ingesting larval cysts from infected feces, which typically occurs from a lack of handwashing, according to the CDC. The disease is endemic in the developing world because of poor sanitation.
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