Woman’s fever triggered by WORMS that had burrowed in her brain after making major food mistake
A WOMAN almost died after eating seafood contaminated with worms that burrowed in her brain.
The 60-year-old turned up to hospital with a fever that had lasted three days and severe confusion – to the point where she couldn’t speak or understand anyone.
Doctors initially suspected she had a brain-swelling condition called meningitis, given her fever, confusion, and neck stiffness.
They ordered an MRI scan, which revealed multiple brain lesions, which can indicate an infection – in line with the suspected meningitis diagnosis.
But despite two weeks of antibiotics, her condition only worsened.
A follow-up MRI revealed a significant increase in lesions and tests revealed an unusually high level of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell), pointing to a possible parasitic infection.
In her case, published in Neurology, doctors revealed they discovered she had eaten crayfish the night before her symptoms began, leading them to suspect a dangerous parasite was the cause.
Further tests confirmed that the woman was infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a parasitic worm often contracted from eating undercooked seafood.
The worms caused eosinophilic meningitis, a rare condition where parasitic infection causes brain inflammation.
Unlike bacterial meningitis, eosinophilic meningitis is marked by an increase in eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.
Doctors from Guangzhou Medical University in China, writing in the journal, explained that the worms likely travelled to her brain, causing inflammation in areas responsible for communication.
The woman was immediately treated with albendazole, an antiparasitic medication that treats worm infections.
Within two weeks, she was back on her feet, able to communicate again.
Four months later, her brain scans showed the lesions had shrunk dramatically, and her health had nearly fully recovered.
A separate report, published earlier this month, detailed the time medics discovered a woman’s iron deficiency was caused by worms feeding off her body.
Meanwhile, in another report, a teenager visited a dermatology clinic complaining of an unsightly rash which was later found to be parasitic worms.
The weirdest things found inside the human body – from a fly buzzing around a man’s gut to a coconut and deodorant can
IT is not unusual for doctors to find random objects inside people's bodies.
Whether they are inhaled by accident, inserted for erotic pleasure or as a means to try and solve a health problem like constipation, doctors see it all.
Medics recently found a fully intact fly buzzing around a man’s intestines.
Meanwhile, a lady in Taiwan recently made the news because a live spider and its discarded outer shell were found inside her ear.
Spiders crawling inside the body are rare; those with arachnophobia will be pleased to hear.
While the person giving a home to a spider had little choice, others accidentally inhale objects, while some even purposely stick things up themselves.
A 2021 study found the vast majority – a whopping 88 per cent – of people attending A&E with this complaint are men.
Some of these have included apples, an aubergine, a brush, pens, carrots, a deodorant can and pesticide containers.
Inhaling objects is one of the most common causes of death in children under three.
Some of the most commonly inhaled objects include coins, toys or magnets, peanuts, and even hot dogs.
In one bizarre case published in Dove Press, doctors in Africa found a leech stuck in a little girl’s throat, which was later safely removed.
A postman from Preston, England, inhaled a Playmobil road cone as a child, but it was only discovered when the 47-year-old had his lungs scanned when he presented with a persistent cough.
In another odd case, a man inhaled a pea, which was in place long enough for it to begin to sprout in his respiratory tract.