Man's undercooked bacon habit likely led to migraine-causing tapeworm
Newsy
A rare case of cysticercosis developed in a man whose habit of eating undercooked bacon likely caused tapeworms.
A 52-year-old man reported experiencing worsening headaches for over four months with no explanation. Researchers said the migraines were the result of tapeworms being caused by a man's consumption of undercooked bacon.
For months, doctors tried to diagnose what exactly was causing these headaches. In a case report published by Florida health officials in the American Journal of Case Reports, the man stated his migraines occurred almost weekly, becoming increasingly severe, and no longer were responsive to therapy.
The report said he denied any new focal neurological deficits, changes in seizures, numbness, weakness, facial asymmetry, dysarthria or dysphagia.
He also denied visiting high-risk travel areas with his only notable travel history being on a cruise to the Bahamas years prior. The report said that he lived at home with his wife and cat in a modern home and claimed to consume a regular diet, but admitted to a habit of eating lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon for most of his life.
It turns out that eating undercooked bacon was the likely culprit.