Symptoms of Tapeworm Infections

By admin, on May 3rd, 2010

Tapeworm is a term that is used to describe a group of parasitic worms that live in the intestine of animals as well as humans. Tapeworm infection of the intestine occurs when people eat raw, undercooked meat like beef, pork or even freshwater fish.

Symptoms of tapeworm infestation depend on the affected organ and the species of tapeworm

Many people affected by tapeworm infestations do not show any symptoms. Tapeworms can inhabit the gut of humans without causing any damage. However some species of tapeworms begin to use the nutrition from the human gut in order to thrive. When this happens the affected person becomes deprived of vital nutrients and begins to show signs of anemia and malnutrition. The tapeworm also lodges firmly inside the gut and causes irritation of the gut .In such cases the affected person may often complain of abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and vomiting. The tapeworms may travel through the blood stream and affect other organs producing associated symptoms. The most common organ to be affected is the liver. But the traveling larvae can also affect the kidneys and the brain, thereby producing serious complications. The tapeworm species that is more likely to travel into the blood stream and affect the internal organs is the pork tapeworm.

Some of the common species of tapeworms that produce symptoms in humans are taenia saginata (this is also called as beef tapeworm as it is common in beef), taenia solium (this is also referred to as pork tapeworm as it is common in pork) and diphyllobothrium latum (it is commonly known as fish tapeworm as it is found mainly in fish). One of the dangerous varieties of tapeworm is hydatid tapeworm. It is also referred to as Echinococcus granulosis. This variety of tapeworm is commonly found in the intestine of dogs. Humans get infected when they accidentally come in contact with feces of an infected dog. In such cases they develop hydatid disease. Hydatid disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease.

Common symptoms of tapeworm infestation

Many people affected by tapeworm infestations may not develop any symptoms for a long time. In some cases like the hydatid disease the symptoms may be life threatening or potentially fatal. The symptoms also depend on the affected organ especially when the tapeworm larvae travel through the blood stream and attack the internal organs of the body. Since liver is the organ that is most commonly attacked by the larvae the most common symptoms are bloating of the abdomen and abdominal discomfort. In some rare cases the abdominal larvae can also attack the thyroid gland and develop watery cysts. Some of the common symptoms of tapeworm infestation are as follows:

Abdominal discomfort
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Stomach upset
Unexplained weight loss
Anemia
Swollen abdomen
Weakness and fatigue
Excessive hunger
Worms in stools

Diagnosis of tapeworm infestation

Diagnosis is mainly based on the examination of the blood and the stools. Other methods used in the diagnosis are medical examination, physical examination, MRI and ultrasound.

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