Everything You Need to Know About Tapeworm Infections

Many people Many people with an intestinal tapeworm don't experience any symptoms and never even realize they have one. When symptoms do pop up, they can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and inflammation. You might also notice weight loss, appetite changes, and malnutrition because your body isn't absorbing nutrients properly. Tapeworms can leave you feeling weak, dizzy, and exhausted. You might even see parts of the worm in your stool. In severe cases, these infections can cause B12 deficiency and seizures.

Intestinal tapeworms usually don't cause major complications. However, if one grows large enough, it can actually block your appendix, leading to appendicitis. A large tapeworm can also block the pancreatic duct or bile ducts, preventing vital digestive fluids from traveling from your pancreas, gallbladder, and liver to your intestines.

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Invasive tapeworm infections happen when larvae escape the intestines and form cysts in other tissues and organs. Symptoms of an invasive infection often include headaches, allergic reactions to the larvae, noticeable lumps or cystic masses, and neurological issues like seizures

Neurocysticercosis is a particularly dangerous complication that can happen if you have an invasive pork tapeworm infection. It can cause headaches, meningitis, visual impairment, seizures, hydrocephalus, and even dementia. In severe scenarios, these complications can be fatal. If larvae travel to your lungs, liver, or other organs, the cysts they form can grow large enough to disrupt how that organ functions. A ruptured cyst is especially problematic because it releases more larvae into your body, which can spread to new tissues. A leaking cyst can also trigger allergic reactions like itching, swelling, hives, and breathing difficulties.

You can ingest tapeworm eggs by consuming food or water contaminated with feces from an infected animal or person. For example, a cow with a tapeworm passes eggs in its stool, which can then seep into the soil. If that soil comes into contact with water or crops, those sources become contaminated. Infected animals also harbor larvae in their muscle tissue. Eating raw or undercooked meat from these animals can pass the infection to you. While some adult tapeworms simply pass out of your body in your stool, others attach to your intestinal walls, where they can survive for up to 30 years.

Certain habits and environments put you at a higher risk of contracting a tapeworm. Traveling to developing countries and eating raw or undercooked meat are common risk factors. Poor hygiene also plays a major role; not washing your hands frequently enough drastically increases the chance of accidentally transferring contaminated material to your mouth.

To diagnose an intestinal tapeworm, your doctor will likely send stool samples to a laboratory, where technicians look for eggs or worm segments. Because these segments pass through your system irregularly, your doctor might need two or three separate samples to confirm the diagnosis. For invasive infections, blood tests are often used. The specific antibodies in your blood can help the lab identify exactly which type of tapeworm is causing the issue.

Sometimes, you don't even need treatment for an intestinal tapeworm because it naturally passes out of your body through your stool. If it attaches inside you instead, doctors typically prescribe oral medication. The exact prescription depends on the type of worm and what part of your body it's affecting. Keep in mind that medications designed to kill adult tapeworms don't destroy the eggs, so your doctor will likely continue testing your stool until the infection is entirely gone.

If you have an invasive infection, your doctor might use anthelmintic drugs to help shrink the tapeworm cysts. In some cases, these cysts need to be surgically removed. Cysts located in the lungs, eyes, and liver are typically handled with surgery, as leaving them can seriously interfere with how those organs function.

You can lower your chances of a tapeworm infection by thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water after using the restroom and before handling food. Avoid eating raw or undercooked beef, pork, or fish. Cooking meat to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit is usually enough to kill off tapeworm larvae and eggs. Alternatively, freezing fish for at least 24 hours—or meat for seven to 10 days at -31 degrees—can also destroy the eggs and larvae.