'Electric Shock' Feeling In Legs Turned Out To Be Worm In Woman's Spine
- 6 years ago
A woman in France who went to a hospital complaining of sharp shock-like sensations in her legs was found to have a tapeworm in her spine.
A woman in France who went to a hospital complaining of sharp shock-like sensations in her legs, weakness, and occasional falls was found to have parasites living in her spine, reports LiveScience. During the woman's initial examination, doctors did find that sensations in both of her legs were impaired and noted she had some difficulties with flexing her feet. According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, an MRI of the spine revealed a "lesion of the 9th thoracic vertebra." It wasn't until after that lesion was surgically removed and tested that doctors learned it was caused by a type of tapeworm known as Echinococcus granulosus.
"The worm is found most commonly in sheep and can be passed along through dog droppings, but cattle and cats also can carry and spread it," NBC News notes. "The woman had a pet cat and had contact with cattle."
However, the doctors aren't sure how the woman got infected.
"In addition to surgery, this patient was treated with the antiparasitic medication albendazole," the Journal notes. "At follow-up 9 months after presentation, the patient had no residual symptoms or sign of recurrence."
A woman in France who went to a hospital complaining of sharp shock-like sensations in her legs, weakness, and occasional falls was found to have parasites living in her spine, reports LiveScience. During the woman's initial examination, doctors did find that sensations in both of her legs were impaired and noted she had some difficulties with flexing her feet. According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, an MRI of the spine revealed a "lesion of the 9th thoracic vertebra." It wasn't until after that lesion was surgically removed and tested that doctors learned it was caused by a type of tapeworm known as Echinococcus granulosus.
"The worm is found most commonly in sheep and can be passed along through dog droppings, but cattle and cats also can carry and spread it," NBC News notes. "The woman had a pet cat and had contact with cattle."
However, the doctors aren't sure how the woman got infected.
"In addition to surgery, this patient was treated with the antiparasitic medication albendazole," the Journal notes. "At follow-up 9 months after presentation, the patient had no residual symptoms or sign of recurrence."