12/12/2025
A 38-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after suffering mysterious seizures and showing an “altered mental status,” and doctors later discovered that he had tapeworms living in his brain for years. According to a case report published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined the man when he arrived following his first ever seizure. Before reaching the hospital, he had begun speaking incoherently, using random words that made no sense, and behaving in a confused and combative manner.
When he reached the hospital, staff witnessed a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Although his eyes remained open with an uncontrolled upward gaze, he did not respond verbally or follow commands. Interestingly, his gag and cough reflexes were intact. The man had no past medical issues, took no regular medications, did not use any kind of substance, and only rarely consumed alcohol.
Doctors immediately administered two intravenous doses of lorazepam, spaced seven minutes apart, and inserted an endotracheal tube to protect his airway. A chest X-ray showed no abnormalities. Since this was his first seizure episode, the medical team emphasized the importance of thoroughly reviewing his clinical history to identify possible causes.
Laboratory tests ruled out common triggers such as dangerously low sodium levels, kidney failure, and liver problems. Toxicology screenings of both his blood and urine also came back negative, eliminating the possibility of alcohol or drug-related seizures. However, further evaluation revealed elevated white blood cell counts, indicating an active infection, as well as lactic acidosis, which can occur when the body is under severe stress.
These findings prompted more detailed investigation, eventually leading doctors to uncover the shocking cause behind his symptoms parasitic tapeworms that had been silently residing in his brain for decades.