Signs and symptoms of intestinal infection include: Nausea. Weakness. Loss of appetite. Abdominal pain. Diarrhea. Dizziness. Salt craving. Weight loss and inadequate absorption of nutrients from food. To tell if you have a tapeworm, look for symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss. You may also notice changes to your appetite. If you’re still unsure, examine your stool for pieces of the worm, which may look like grains of white rice.
What happens if a tapeworm goes untreated?
Untreated tapeworms can live for years, and can lead to malnutrition. Long-term complications could include headaches, blindness, and seizures.
Can tapeworm infection go away on its own?
Some people with tapeworm infections never need treatment, for the tapeworm exits the body on its own. Others don't realize they have it because they have no symptoms. However, if you're diagnosed with intestinal tapeworm infection, medication will likely be prescribed to get rid of it.
How do you get rid of a tapeworm infection?
Tapeworms are usually treated with a medicine taken by mouth. The most commonly used medicine for tapeworms is praziquantel (Biltricide). These medications paralyze the tapeworms, which let go of the intestine, dissolve, and pass from your body with bowel movements.
How could a human get infected with a tapeworm?
Tapeworm eggs normally enter the human host from animals via food, especially raw or undercooked meat. Humans can also become infected if there is contact with animal feces or contaminated water. When an infection is passed from an animal to a human, it is called zoonosis.
What are the signs and symptoms of invasive tapeworm infection?
Invasive tapeworm infection symptoms vary depending on where the larvae have migrated. Signs and symptoms of intestinal infection include: Weight loss and inadequate absorption of nutrients from food
When to seek medical attention for a tapeworm infection?
If tapeworm larvae have migrated out of your intestines and formed cysts in other tissues, they can eventually cause organ and tissue damage, resulting in: If you experience any of the signs or symptoms of tapeworm infection, seek medical attention. A tapeworm infection starts after ingestion of tapeworm eggs or larvae.
Can a blood test tell if you have a tapeworm?
That complication is called neurocysticercosis, and can also present as headaches. This infection is caused by the pork tapeworm. A blood test could offer one of the most significant clues that it’s a parasite that’s to blame. “The one giveaway that makes me think ‘parasite’ is on blood tests, eosinophils may be elevated.
How does a tapeworm infection start?
A tapeworm infection starts after ingestion of tapeworm eggs or larvae. Ingestion of eggs. If you eat food or drink water contaminated with feces from a person or animal with tapeworm, you ingest microscopic tapeworm eggs. For example, a pig infected with tapeworm will pass tapeworm eggs in its feces, which gets into the soil.
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