Worms in the brain

It's getting scary already from just one topic name. Perhaps the worms in the brain are a wonderful occasion for the appearance of another horror film. But now it's about reality, no matter how terrible it is. The disease does exist and is called neurocysticercosis. By the way, worms in the brain become the most common cause of epilepsy.

The signs of this disease do not always manifest. The fact that worms in the brain have already settled, a person may not know, because some symptoms of a general malaise simply do not manifest. For the time being and until the time.

Neurocysticercosis causes the larva of Taenia solium. This is a ribboned worm. There are also other names: tapeworm, pork tapeworm. Parasitize worms in the body of a pig. With ease can be passed on to a person and continue their cycle already in his body. The source of infection can be poorly fried or boiled pork. Infected can be food, water. You can get infected and through the hands, poorly washed. For example, it can become so destructive for children to try everything "for a tooth."

Neurocysticercosis is especially common in rural areas. And especially in developing countries, where sanitation still leaves much to be desired.

The larva enters the stomach and, freed from the membrane, penetrates the muscles through the bloodstream, and from there into the brain, into the eyes. As the medical experience shows, the worm in the eye can also safely live and develop. A liquid-filled bubble forms around the worm. And if the bubble appears in the muscles, then you can not even know about the infection, because it is completely asymptomatic. But the formation of such blisters in the eyes may result in either partial or even complete loss of vision. Parasitizing worms in the brain eventually causes headaches, encephalitis and epileptic seizures. Another syndrome, less common - confusion, inhibition, impaired coordination (a person can not always keep his balance). Seizures occur in 70% of patients.

Worms in the body can appear, even if you just stroke the dog. Veterinarians say that one gram of wool can have up to two hundred Toxocara canis larvae. It used to be that nematodes only come out with feces. The worm penetrates into the body in the same way as its "brothers" - through the mouth, it migrates throughout the body and eventually can appear in the eyes, also causing either a visual impairment or a complete loss of it.

Another terrible parasite, settling in the person's head - echinococcus. An example is the case that occurred in Kazakhstan. Then an operation was carried out to remove the worms from the brain to a boy of ten years.

Timur Begmanov (neurosurgeon who was present at the operation) says with shudder: "Echinococcus is not so rare, but this is the first time I saw it." The operation lasted for a long time, we extracted about 20 parasites, worms in the brain literally swarmed ... "

The neurosurgeon absolutely agrees with the statement: the cause of infection lies in the use of meat, not long enough in heat treatment and in non-compliance with the elementary rules of hygiene.

A similar case was in Minnesota. A patient of Don Besser, being in Mexico, decided to try tortillas with minced meat. Soon she felt ill and lay in bed for three weeks. Then something strange and frightening began to occur in her head. In addition, epileptic seizures began. Fortunately, surgeons saved the woman by removing worms from her brain.

But even if you persistently resist the temptation to stroke the dog and completely refuse meat, the worms will penetrate into the body in a different way. And help them in this ... Mosquitoes!

Another couple of examples that have already occurred in Russia.

One of the residents of Ulyanovsk several times appealed to the doctors with a complaint about the incomprehensible origin of the bump on the head. Surprisingly, the cone moved. Appearing first on the back of his head, he moved to his temple, and then he was on his forehead. After a while, the skin on this cone began to flake off and a long, thin worm, a dirofilaritosis repense, emerged to freedom. Parasite carriers are dogs. Mosquitoes, sucking blood from dogs, fly to a new "victim", carrying larvae. The latter, having got into the blood of another animal or person, take root in a new environment and begin to grow, reaching 40 cm. This can last for years (2-3 years). The most common in the south: Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan regions. Now cases have also been registered in the Kursk region (Kurchatov).

The woman was compelled to apply to the regional clinic with a complaint about her eyes. When examined, the diagnosis was "edema of the conjunctiva." When the examination was more detailed, it turned out that the swelling ... was moving! The patient was sent for surgery. "When the seal was opened, we saw a thick, white worm, three millimeters in diameter, and a length of about 10 cm , - says the ophthalmologist who was present at that operation. The worm was sent to the "identification". The parasite was the same dirofilaria ...

Unfortunately, it is impossible to insure against infection. But it is possible to significantly reduce the risk by observing the most elementary rules of hygiene and processing of products. Do not expect that a rare disease will not affect you. When deciding on nature, treat the body with protective means. And in the warm season put mosquito nets on the windows.