The infection is treated with albendazole or praziquantel (drugs used to treat parasitic worm infections, called antihelminthic drugs). However, if a person has many cysts, antihelminthic drugs may kill many organisms, causing the brain to swell significantly.
Can worms in brain be treated?
How is tapeworm in the brain treated and prevented? Neurocysticercosis can be treated with anti-parasitic drugs in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs, but surgery may be required in extreme cases to remove the cysts.
What are the symptoms of a brain parasite?
Neurocysticercosis (cysts in the brain, spinal cord): Seizures and headaches are the most common symptoms. However, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, difficulty with balance, excess fluid around the brain (called hydrocephalus) may also occur. The disease can result in death.
How long can worms live in your brain?
The Spirometra tapeworm can live in humans for up to 20 years. A man in China experienced seizures and other mysterious symptoms for years before doctors finally found the cause: He had a rare parasite living in his brain, which had likely been there for more than a decade, according to news reports.
How is brain worm spread?
Deer accidentally consume an infected gastropod (snail or slug) while feeding. Larvae in the gastropod penetrate the deer's stomach wall and travel along the nerves of the deer until it reaches the spinal cord and moves into the brain.
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