For all those out there who's doctors don't believe that parasites exist here in the US.....

The ScientificWorld Journal
Volume 2012, Article ID 159821, 8 pages
doi:10.1100/2012/159821
The cientificWorldJOURNAL
Review Article
Neurocysticercosis: A Review

Oscar H. Del Brutto1, 2
1Department of Neurological Sciences, Hospital—Clinica Kennedy, Guayaquil, Ecuador
2Air Center 3542, P.O. Box 522970, Miami, Fl 33152-2970, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Oscar H. Del Brutto, oscardelbrutto@hotmail.com
Received 3 October 2011; Accepted 1 November 2011
Academic Editors: D. Bates, M. Brunanska, and P. L. Moro
Copyright © 2012 Oscar H. Del Brutto. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Neuroysticercosis is the most common helminthic infection of the nervous system, and a leading cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. The disease occurs when humans become intermediate hosts of Taenia solium by ingesting its eggs from contaminated food or, most often, directly from a taenia carrier by the fecal-to-oral route. Cysticerci may be located in brain parenchyma, subarachnoid space, ventricular system, or spinal cord, causing pathological changes that are responsible for the pleomorphism of
neurocysticercosis. Seizures are themost common clinical manifestation, but many patients present with focal deficits, intracranial hypertension, or cognitive decline. Accurate diagnosis of neurocysticercosis is possible after interpretation of clinical data together with findings of neuroimaging studies and results of immunological tests. The introduction of cysticidal drugs have changed the
prognosis of most patients with neurocysticercosis. These drugs have shown to reduce the burden of infection in the brain and to improve the clinical course of the disease in most patients. Further efforts should be directed to eradicate the disease through the implementation of control programs against all the interrelated steps in the life cycle of T. solium, including human carriers of the
adult tapeworm, infected pigs, and eggs in the environment.



............................................



However,neurocysticercosis has also been recognized in persons with no history of travel to endemic areas, most of whom get infected through a household contact harbouring the adult Taenia solium in the intestine [8]. The unpredictable nature of the immunological reaction of the host against cysticerci as well as the pleomorphic lesions that parasites induce in the central nervous system make neurocysticercosis an intriguing
disease. During the past years, introduction of modern diagnostic techniques as well as development of cysticidal
drugs provoked a considerable interest in neurocysticercosis.


So, even though you may not be suffering from this particular issue, this is a prime example of a parasite that many doctors don't believe is here.

So is a person crazy for thinking they could have a parasitic infection? Or is the doctor who won't treat them crazy for not considering it?

Reply to This Message

Alert Webmaster & Moderators