Liu Fang's head CT scan from years ago. Yesterday, Liu Fang introduced her head CT scan and said that although the spargana parasite was removed through surgery three years ago, she still suffers from sequelae and often loses consciousness and collapses. Chongqing Morning Post reporter Li Bin took the photo. Big eyes, fair skin - the beautiful Liu Fang originally had a good job with a bright future, but an illness changed everything.
Three years ago, she was diagnosed by the Southwest Hospital as having parasitic infection in the left frontal lobe of the brain. After the surgery, although the parasite was removed, she developed symptomatic epilepsy and would suddenly collapse and convulse without any warning signs.
At any time, she could fall ill, so she can never be left alone.
On the evening of the previous day at 9 PM, in Shuduliang, Jiangbei District, there was a sudden "thud" from Liu Fang's room. Wan Dazhen, who was watching TV in the living room, immediately rushed to her daughter's room and saw her daughter convulsing on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Her son-in-law was struggling to lift her up from the ground. Wan Dazhen quickly helped her son-in-law lift her daughter onto the bed to lie down flat, ensuring she could breathe smoothly, and used her thumb to press hard on her daughter's philtrum. After three minutes, her daughter gradually woke up.
Liu Fang's condition is symptomatic epilepsy. She usually regains consciousness 3-4 minutes after fainting and behaves like a normal person when not having an episode. Since falling ill, Liu Fang cannot work outside and needs someone to take care of her all the time. Liu Fang said that she now deliberately controls her emotions every day, avoiding getting too excited because overthinking can also trigger an episode.
The Terrifying Cause: Parasites in Frogs
In 2008, on a weekend, Liu Fang was teaching some elderly friends how to dance Latin for free in the Jiangbei Huayuan. Because the elderly were learning new moves slowly, Liu Fang became a little anxious. This anxiety caused her to feel dizzy and lose consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself sore and weak all over, with no memory of what had happened before. Liu Fang did not pay much attention to this fainting incident, thinking it was due to insufficient rest and previous emotional agitation. However, after several consecutive episodes of sudden fainting, Liu Fang began to take it seriously.
She went to the Southwest Hospital for examination, and the diagnosis shocked her - she had parasitic infection in the left frontal lobe of the brain. The doctor required her to be hospitalized immediately for treatment. After the surgery, the doctor extracted a sparganum parasite named *Spirometra mansoni* from her brain, about 10 centimeters long.
The doctor explained that spargana generally reside in frogs and snakes and cannot be killed even by stir-frying. Liu Fang recalled that for a period, she frequently ate frog hotpot with her friends, which might have been the cause of her infection.
It is understood that the eggs of spargana first adhere to the intestinal wall of the diner, then hatch into larvae, which enter the brain through the bloodstream and grow in the brain.
Desire for Recovery: To Live Like a Normal Person
Now, Liu Fang spends her days at home watching TV, knitting sweaters, and tutoring her child's homework. She said that due to this illness, she cannot do anything, and despite seeing many doctors and taking many medications over the past three years, her condition has not improved.
Before falling ill, she was an outgoing person who loved dancing and exercising and excelled in her work as the director of a real estate company. She misses her former self dearly.
If you have a way to help Liu Fang, please call the news hotline of Chongqing Morning Post at 966966 to offer your advice.
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Infected Individuals Often Enjoy Eating Frog and Snake Meat
The life cycle of *Spirometra mansoni* generally requires three hosts. Common definitive hosts are mainly cats and dogs, along with other carnivorous animals such as tigers, leopards, foxes, and civets. The human body can become its second intermediate host, paratenic host, or even definitive host.
According to online research conducted by the reporter, there are more than ten cases online where *Spirometra mansoni* infected humans, and most patients enjoyed eating frog and snake meat.
Spargana usually parasitize in the muscles of frog legs. There was a similar case in Guangdong where Mr. Zeng contracted the larva of *Spirometra mansoni* in his head after eating frog meat. Finally, through surgical treatment, a sparganum about 9 centimeters long was extracted from his head.
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These Five Reasons Can Easily Trigger Epilepsy
1. Intracranial infection, such as various types of encephalitis and meningitis, leading to cerebral cortex inflammation and edema, causing adult epilepsy.
2. Cranial injury. The incidence of epilepsy after trauma is 0.5% to 50%, with longer periods of coma and more severe brain tissue damage increasing the incidence. Acute intracranial hematoma compression and brain tissue edema-induced intracranial hypertension can both lead to adult epilepsy. Brain cell dysfunction and disorder after cranial surgery can also cause adult epilepsy.
3. Alcoholism is also a cause of adult epilepsy, as excessive drinking over a long period can lead to epilepsy and may result in reduced attention and even dementia. Acute ethanol poisoning can directly trigger epilepsy.
4. Brain parasitic diseases. Eating food or water contaminated with parasite eggs allows the eggs to enter the body, travel through the blood circulation, and lodge in the cerebral cortex, triggering adult epilepsy.
5. Stimuli and emotional fluctuations. Epileptic seizures may occur due to emotional stimulation, leading to increased brain activity speed.
This article is written by Chongqing Morning Post intern reporter Wen Qing.