Tapeworm nests in the brain from the habit of eating blood pudding for 'luck'

Hanoi: A 74-year-old man regularly ate raw blood pudding on the first day of every month for good luck, which led to worms nesting in his brain, causing many seizures.

On January 22, a representative of Dang Van Ngu Hospital said the man occasionally had headaches, convulsions, and a crooked mouth, but did not go to the doctor because the symptoms disappeared after half an hour.

Recently, he suddenly had several seizures in the early morning, so his family took him to the hospital for a check-up. A CT scan of his brain revealed three nests of worms inside, which had spread and calcified. Doctors prescribed medication according to the anti-worm treatment regimen. His health is now stable.

The patient said his "favorite dishes" are blood pudding, rare meat, especially pig and goose blood pudding, often eaten on the first day of the month or during holidays and Tet.

Dr. Tran Huy Tho, permanent deputy director of Dang Van Ngu Hospital, said many people believe that home-raised pig, duck, and chicken blood pudding is clean, so they still consume it. However, these dishes still pose a risk of infection with tapeworms and other dangerous pathogens such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and streptococcus.

People with brain flukes are greatly affected in their quality of life, such as memory loss, having many seizures a day, and severe cases also leave behind calcifications that do not disappear, causing the patient to occasionally have headaches and muscle spasms.

Doctor Tho recommends that people should avoid eating raw and undercooked dishes, typically blood pudding, to avoid the risk of being attacked by parasites. In addition, when detecting unusual symptoms, it is necessary to go to a medical facility immediately. If diagnosed with worm infection, it is necessary to follow the doctor's treatment instructions and not abandon it halfway.

Thuy Quynh

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