Man discovers horrifying reason for his constant headaches

Headaches can have all manner of causes, from stress to poor posture to drinking too much wine.

But when one man began experiencing increasingly frequent and painful migraines he discovered there was a lot more to the issue than met the eye.

The 52-year-old, from Florida, explained to his doctor that he had a history of bad headaches, but said these were getting worse and weren’t responding to his usual medication, infection biology expert John Worthington explained in a piece for The Conversation.

As a result, the patient underwent a CT scan which revealed the disturbing truth: his brain was infected with tapeworm cysts.

And whilst this might sound hideous in itself, there is another twist in this unusual saga.

These parasites tend to reside in the intestine after using undercooked, contaminated pork as a handy vessel into the body.

According to Worthington, a senior lecturer at Lancaster University: “When the parasite senses the digestive juices of your small intestine, it then knows it is time to use its curled hooks and four suckers and attach to your gut.

“Once here, the tapeworm is living its best life; growing to around two metres long and potentially making a home in you for up to five years.”

Hooks on the tapeworm's scolex(head) enable it to latch onto the intestinal wall(Dr. Mae Melvin/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

During its stay, the parasite releases thousands of eggs, which are then passed out through the host’s faeces.

And yet, although the man admitted that he often ate undercooked bacon, this didn’t explain how the tapeworm ended up in his brain.

The authors of a new study into the case were, therefore, forced to consider whether the patient may have initially been infected with the intestinal form of the parasite but then re-infected himself with eggs in his faeces through “poor hygiene”.

In this case, it appears that the tapeworm reverted to its cyst – also known as cysticercus – form and accidentally made its way into the brain via the bloodstream, resulting in a condition called neurocysticercosis.

If untreated, neurocysticercosis can lead to seizures and is a leading cause of epilepsy in developing countries with poor sanitation where cases are prevalent, Worthington explains.

It can be treated with anti-parasite drugs, but the resulting immune response in the brain can cause more harm than good, so needs to be balanced with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Fortunately, this dual treatment seems to be working for the hapless 52-year-old, who is now said to be recovering with reduced brain lesions and headaches.

The moral of this story, like the man’s treatment, is two-fold: cook your pork properly; and wash your hands, especially after using the toilet.

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