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Doctors suspected man had brain cancer. He had worms(arstechnica.com)
33 points by Bender 2 hours ago | 12 comments
sva_ 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> The finding surprised the doctors since tapeworms aren’t endemic to Spain and he said he hadn’t traveled. However, the man may have been exposed during his work. Until 10-years prior, when he retired, he had worked in construction, often working alongside people who had migrated from regions where pork tapeworms (Taenia solium) are endemic. The parasitic worms can spread through the fecal-oral route. His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.

yikes

woadwarrior01 31 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

This is a big fear of mine. I have a course of albendazole once every year just for this. It is de facto over the counter in India. I bought enough to last 4 years, the last time I was there.

aurareturn 22 minutes ago | parent [-]

Do you take it even if you don't have any symptoms?

thelastgallon 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sounds like a Dr. House episode.

omsta 36 minutes ago | parent [-]

The first one specifically: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_(House)

mhb an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Why did they use CT before MRI?

bdcravens 39 minutes ago | parent [-]

Presumably what they had available. Since MRI machines (and qualified technicians) are much more expensive, it's not uncommon for smaller facilities to rely on mobile MRIs which aren't on-site every day.

ramon156 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

But actually, it was lupus

sourcegrift an hour ago | parent [-]

And the throat incision clip

tamimio 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Ok, and what happened to the man after? Did they remove it? Was he ok and back to normal or forever damaged?

throawayonthe 2 hours ago | parent [-]

> NCC can be serious, causing seizures, significant neurological deficits, cognitive decline, stroke, and other problems. But it can also be asymptomatic. The severity depends on where in the brain the worms settle. Luckily for the man, the effects were relatively mild. Doctors prescribed him two anti-parasitic drugs, and he recovered.

and here is the actual case report: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/7/26-0587_article

> We treated the patient successfully with albendazole (400 mg 2×/d) and praziquantel (1,200 mg 3×/d), alongside dexamethasone taper, without complications.

tamimio an hour ago | parent [-]

Thanks and glade he made it!