HIDDEN DWELLER EVICTED AFTER 10 YEARS

Tapeworm removed from man’s brain after months of ‘awful’ headaches, Texas doctors say

By Dawson White

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
January 27, 2020

A Texas man’s “awful” headaches had a disturbing cause.

Last year, a man in Austin told his doctors he’d been tormented by terrible headaches for months before passing out during a soccer game, KXAN reported.

After running a few tests, doctors made a frightening discovery: a tapeworm was lodged in his brain, KVUE reported.

“This can go undetected for years, so you can eat by accident a microscopic egg from the tapeworm larva and not know it for years,” neurosurgeon Dr. Jordan Amadio said, according to the outlet. “They can grow inside the body without causing symptoms until they get big enough.”

Doctors performed surgery to remove the parasite and the man has recovered, KVUE reported. They believe he may have gotten the parasite after eating under-cooked pork in Mexico over a decade ago, according to KEYE.

“In this patient’s case he had been in the states from Mexico for over a decade. We actually think this had been growing in his brain for over a decade undetected,” Amadio said, according to the outlet.

Tapeworm infections occur when a person eats under-cooked pork or beef, the Centers for Disease Control say. Symptoms can be mild or non-existent, but occasionally cause digestive problems, loss of appetite, stomach pain or weight loss. Those infected may also see segments of the tapeworm in their poop, the CDC says.

About 1,000 cases of tapeworm infections are reported each year in the U.S., but the CDC says it’s tough to determine the exact number of cases.