Dr Sam Ghali, an emergency room doctor on the College of Florida Well being Jacksonville, posted a surprising picture on his X account, describing it as “one of many craziest CT scans I’ve ever seen.” The scan confirmed the affected person’s legs riddled with a parasitic an infection that had invaded the muscle mass.
“I’m an ER physician, and I take advantage of this account to show folks about medical emergencies,” stated Dr Ghali on X. Utilizing his platform to coach the general public, he invited followers to guess the prognosis, later revealing that the affected person had contracted ‘Taenia solium’ or cysticercosis.
What’s Cysticercosis?
Cysticercosis is a extreme an infection brought on by the pork tapeworm, the place the larvae of the pork tapeworm infiltrate varied tissues, together with the mind and muscle mass, usually resulting in critical well being points. These embrace lumps below the pores and skin, complications, and seizures if the an infection reaches the mind or spinal twine. The an infection is often unfold via contact with tapeworm-infected human faeces, contaminated meals, water, and soiled arms. This
“People grow to be contaminated with ‘T. solium’ by ingesting cysts that may be present in undercooked pork,” Ghali defined. The larvae “penetrate the intestinal wall, invade the bloodstream, and from there, can unfold to actually wherever in all the physique.”
“The prognosis for cysticercosis is usually good, however sadly, some circumstances are deadly. It is estimated that round 50 million folks worldwide are contaminated annually, leading to roughly 50,000 deaths,” Ghali stated. “Therapy choices embrace anti-parasitic remedy, steroids, anti-epileptics (neurocysticercosis), and surgical elimination.”
The an infection usually seems on CT scans as white specks, also known as “rice grain calcifications.” Dr Ghali famous that inside 5-12 weeks, the ingested cysts can turn into mature grownup tapeworms. “So the ethical of the story right here is do your greatest to maintain clear, all the time wash your arms, and by no means, ever eat uncooked or undercooked pork,” he added.
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