News

Man In China Finds Five-Inch Worm Has Been Living Inside His Brain For 17 Years

China, a patient who is known only as Chen, began feeling numbness in his hands and feet from the age of six. However, the 23-year-old only sought medical attention in 2015, when he recently lost all sensation in the right half of his upper body.

He then headed to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wuchang university in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, where baffled doctors initially thought the infection might have come from consuming raw or poorly cooked exotic meats, such as snake or frogs.

He told the medics that he had been experiencing numbness, headaches, and occasionally nausea for the past 17 years of his life, but ignored his symptoms as he believed they could’ve been genetic, due to the fact that his parents also have always had difficulties in moving their limbs.

Chen explained, “Half of my upper body was completely numb, I couldn’t feel my hand and couldn’t lift it.”

Doctors decided to perform a CT scan on Chen and found a long and twisted parasite inside his brain. He then officially diagnosed with sparganosis mansoni, which is a rare parasitic disease.

One of the doctors said, “Once the worm enters the human body, it would cause severe infection.”

“The parasite would ‘eat’ the brain and damage its function, which causes numbness in hands and feet or affect one’s intellect,” he added.

Even though Chen received his diagnosis at the age of 18, surgeons were forced to delay the removal of the parasite because it wasn’t in a suitable location for them to safely remove it without harming him.

He has then been receiving conservative management until his surgery, which took place on August 25. He is now recovering from the operation after medics successfully removed the live worm, which is said to have measured as long as five inches (12 centimeters) in length.

Believed that the parasite had been living in his body for 17 years, since he began experiencing numbness and headaches at the age of six.

Source: Unilad

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

SEACare 2025 Solidifies Malaysia’s Leadership in Southeast Asia’s Healthcare Landscape

Malaysia’s commitment to transforming its healthcare system takes centre stage this week as SEACare 2025,… Read More

1 day ago

Drop: A First Date That Turns Into a Psychological Minefield

What happens when trust, trauma, and tequila meet at the same table?  That’s the unnerving… Read More

1 day ago

SME Bank Collaborates with Autism Cafe Project to Empower Autistic Entrepreneurs

Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (“SME Bank”) has partnered with The Autism Cafe… Read More

1 day ago

Pahlawan Malaysia 2025: Malaysia’s Premier Obstacle Sports Competition Set to Energize the Nation at the Curve, Mutiara Damansara

The Malaysia Obstacle Race Sports Association is proud to announce Pahlawan Malaysia 2025, the premier… Read More

2 days ago

Tesla Malaysia is Celebrating the ‘Earth Week’ to Rewards Owners in Conjunction with a ‘Refer and Win’ Campaign

Embracing the mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, Tesla Malaysia launches the… Read More

2 days ago

Malaysia’s Viper Niza Racing On The Winners’ Podium At The 12 Hours Of Spa Francorchamps

Malaysians Douglas Khoo, Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh raced to a podium finish at last… Read More

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.