Joy Adalia
A man complaining of severe headaches and changes in his sense of smell went to the hospital to finally have his condition checked.
The doctors were puzzled because they could not seem to find the reason behind his symptoms. They exhausted all diagnostic tests they could think of, yet could not find the exact reason until someone spotted the weird spots on the brain scans made over the course of several months.
It seemed that there was something that moved across one part of the head to the center. That something was able to move some 5 centimeters inside his brain – the perfect explanation as to why he lost his sense of smell. It had hit his olfactory nerves!
Much to their shock, they found a tapeworm lodged firmly inside his head! Ewwwww!
Just imagine how crazy that sounds – my head is almost splitting just imagining the creepy crawly worm inching its way inside his brain.
Now, what’s more shocking in all these hoopla is the case was actually documented in the United Kingdom. I would have expected it to be somewhere in a third world country.
The doctors believe that the man got it from international travel because the tapeworm found inside his brain was actually that of a rare species found only in southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and China: the Spirometra erinaceieuropaei.
According to scientists, only about 300 cases human infection by this parasite were recorded. Most parasitic infections are also living in the stomach or intestines.
So, this man was doubly unlucky because the one he got was a rare species and it lodged into his brain!
Thankfully, he was living in an advanced country, so the tapeworm was quickly removed and he is now feeling superb.
