Brain cysticercosis causing hemiplegia due to the hobby of eating blood pudding

Phu Tho General Hospital (HB) said that recently doctors received a male patient (BN) from Thanh Son District (Phu Tho) for examination due to headache and paralysis of the right side of the body. At the hospital, after examination, imaging, combined with clinical manifestations, the patient was diagnosed with multiple cysts in the brain, not excluding brain hydatid cysts. In the brain parenchyma, there are many large and small cysts. In which, the largest cyst is about 5 x 7 cm in size, compressing the brain parenchyma, causing the patient to be weak and paralyzed on one side of the body. The patient said that he has a habit of eating a lot of uncooked foods such as blood pudding, raw vegetables...

U sán não gây liệt nửa người do sở thích ăn tiết canh - Ảnh 1. — The habit of eating blood pudding is not good for health.

The patient was indicated for surgery to remove the cyst, release the cyst from the brain, send for histopathology and perform pathology. According to the pathology results, the results were consistent with the initial diagnosis, the patient had polycystic cysts of the brain. After surgery, the patient received post-operative treatment and used anti-cystic drugs as prescribed. The patient's health gradually recovered and he was able to walk again.

Cao Bang General Hospital also received a 46-year-old male patient (in Quang Hoa District, Cao Bang) who came for examination due to fatigue, headache, dizziness, and severe vertigo. Through examination and paraclinical results, CT scan showed images of cystic larva. The patient also said that he likes to eat blood pudding and undercooked food, and all kinds of intestines.

U sán não gây liệt nửa người do sở thích ăn tiết canh - Ảnh 2. — Tapeworm cysts removed from the patient's brain

Raw food contains pathogens

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Son, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Phu Tho General Hospital, said that brain cysticercosis (brain tumors caused by tapeworm larvae, a group of central nervous system infections) seriously affects the patient's health. The disease develops silently until obvious symptoms are detected, which is often quite late.

The cause of the disease is eating pork or beef tapeworm larvae. If you eat pork or beef infected with tapeworm larvae (rice pork, rice beef) that is not cooked properly, such as rare meat, nem chao, undercooked grilled meat; or eat food (pork blood pudding, contaminated food, etc.), drinking water, dirty hands contaminated with pork tapeworm eggs or larvae, it is very easy to get infected with tapeworm eggs. Tapeworm eggs in the body develop into tapeworm larvae, penetrate the intestinal wall into the blood to reach the muscles and brain, sometimes into the eyes. If the larvae "reside" in the brain, it will cause brain tapeworm larvae disease.

SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE

High fever, headache, vomiting due to increased intracranial pressure can lead to convulsions, even cases of peripheral facial paralysis (7th cranial nerve palsy causing crooked mouth, hemiplegia...).

Diagnosis is based on the patient's history of eating rare or undercooked meat; performing specialized tests; and a CT scan of the brain showing a small tumor.

Once brain flukes are detected, the patient must be actively treated with a regimen prescribed by the doctor; some cases may require multiple treatment sessions depending on the damage, according to Phu Tho General Hospital.

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