Worms nest in the liver of a man who loves raw goat and fish salad

(Dan Tri) - The patient was hospitalized with a condition of itching all over the body that lasted for nearly a year, persistent rash and pain in the right hypochondrium, but the cause could not be found despite treatment in many places.

Mr. LTT, 53 years old, came to the Center for Medical Examination and Treatment on Demand and International, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases with a condition of itching all over the body, prolonged rash and intermittent pain in the right hypochondrium.

These symptoms have haunted him for nearly a year, even though he went to many clinics, used many types of medicine, and even spent a long time in the hospital for treatment, but no clear cause was found.

Because the main symptoms are itching and redness, the disease is easily mistaken for common dermatological diseases, prolonging the diagnosis time, while the real cause is directly related to the patient's unsafe eating habits.

According to the story, Mr. T. often interacts with work and has a habit of eating raw dishes such as blood pudding, rare meat, rare goat, raw fish salad, animal organs, and unsanitary raw vegetables. These are all common sources of infection of large liver flukes, roundworms of dogs and cats, and many other types of parasites.

“Unsafe eating habits are the leading risk factor for parasitic infections in patients,” emphasized Dr. Vu Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Center for On-Demand and International Medical Examination and Treatment.

Doctor examines patient (Photo: Provided by hospital).

Upon admission, the patient was examined clinically, had blood tests and imaging techniques performed. The results showed positive for large liver flukes and roundworms of cats and dogs; at the same time, a liver abscess measuring approximately 5cm in size was detected, accompanied by increased inflammation index and eosinophilia.

Dr. Huong shared: “The liver abscess is quite large. If the patient comes late, it can lead to a ruptured abscess and sepsis.”

After a comprehensive assessment, the patient was prescribed a treatment regimen including abscess aspiration, specific antiparasitic drugs, antibiotics to control infection, and close monitoring of eosinophils, liver enzymes, and inflammatory indicators.

During the inpatient treatment and outpatient follow-up, the eosinophil count returned to normal, the liver abscess shrank, there was no more pus, the fever and right hypochondriac pain were significantly reduced, and the itching almost disappeared. The patient's health is now stable.

According to Dr. Huong, parasitic infection is a persistent disease and is easily overlooked because it often starts with very "faint" symptoms such as prolonged itching - easily mistaken for allergies.

However, when parasites penetrate deep into internal organs such as the liver, they can create large abscesses causing pain and fever; in the eyes, they can reduce vision; and in the brain, tapeworm larvae can cause headaches and convulsions.

These complications are dangerous and often appear when the disease progresses silently over a long period of time without proper treatment.

Mr. T.'s case shows that being subjective with raw and undercooked food and animal organs can lead to serious parasitic infections, causing damage to the liver and many other organs. After treatment, he was advised to have regular check-ups and to completely change his eating habits to avoid re-infection.

To prevent parasitic infections, Dr. Huong recommends: "Everyone needs to maintain the habit of eating cooked food and drinking boiled water, completely avoid raw and undercooked dishes, and always wash vegetables before processing.

In addition, maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet is a simple but effective measure to help prevent many types of parasites from entering the body.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/san-lam-to-trong-gan-nguoi-dan-ong-me-de-tai-goi-ca-20251209122811819.htm