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Tapeworm Features

Tapeworms are parasites that affect both animals and humans. Tapeworms typically infect the intestinal tract first. The situation may become more severe over time as a tapeworm can live for approximately 20 years and often produce eggs, which makes the infection much worse. Knowing the different features of a tapeworm infection may help a person identify it.

  1. Causes of Tapeworm

    • The most common way that people contract tapeworms is by ingesting food or drink that contains the parasite or its eggs. Pork, beef and fish are particularly common foods that can be infected with a tapeworm. This is due to the fact that the animal had a tapeworm infection before it died, and since it was never treated, a person who consumes the meat is also consuming the tapeworm from that animal.

    Symptoms

    • One of the problems with a tapeworm infection is that there are not always symptoms. Many times, a person will not know about the infection until seeing parts of the tapeworm in expelled waste. Some people experience symptoms, such as dizziness, loss of appetite and weight loss.

    Factors That Increase Tapeworm Risk

    • There are several elements that can raise a person's chances of getting a tapeworm infection. Eating raw meat or meat that is not well cooked increases a person's risk of ingesting tapeworms or tapeworm larvae. Additionally, if a person does not have proper hygiene habits, such as keeping hands washed, bacteria or parasites may be released into the system when unwashed hands come into contact with the mouth.

    Problems That Tapeworms Cause

    • Tapeworms can grow to be 50 feet long, which can lead serious health risks for a person. If a growing tapeworm remains in the intestinal tract, the tapeworm will start to block up the bile and pancreatic ducts. This can cause further harm to the digestive system. If the infection spreads beyond the intestines, the brain, nervous system and other vital organs may be affected.

    Tapeworm Treatment

    • A doctor tests for tapeworm by checking samples of the person's stool. If a tapeworm infection is confirmed, oral medication such as Biltricide, Albenza,and Albina are prescribed for the patient. If the infection is more serious, surgery may be needed to remove the tapeworm.

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