CNN reports that a man in China who was suffering from seizures turned out to have tapeworms in his brain.
The 46-year-old construction worker named Zhu from Luzhou had eaten pork and mutton cooked in a spicy hot pot broth.
A few days later, Zhu suffered from headaches and dizziness. At night time, Zhu experienced seizure-like symptoms that were similar to epilepsy.
First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University said Zhu’s coworkers discovered him during a seizure and sent him to hospital.
A CT scan showed “intercranial calcifications” and lesions in his skull. Not wishing to spend any more money, Zhu returned home.
When the symptoms failed to go away, Zhu returned to the hospital where an MRI scan showed he had tapeworms in his brain and was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis.
The infection occurs when tapeworm larvae crawl out of their eggs and into the muscles and brain tissues, forming cysts.
Hospital physicians believe the pork and mutton Zhu ate may have been not cooked properly and were infected with tapeworm larvae.
“I only simmered the meat a little,” Zhu said t. “The bottom of the pot with the spicy broth was red, so you couldn’t see if the meat had been cooked thoroughly.”
Doctors were able to remove the tapeworms and Zhu was able recover and return home.
