A woman from Cardiff, Wales, has spoken out about her decade-long health battle after discovering 38 parasites in her brain, a condition linked to a trip to India in 2007.
Discovering the Infection
Lowri Denman, 42, first realized something was seriously wrong in 2010, three years after her three-month trip to India, when she found a metre-long tapeworm in the toilet. Despite initially visiting her GP, stool tests came back normal, and she felt well.
However, within a year, Denman began experiencing severe headaches, followed by her first seizure in 2011. She also struggled with speech difficulties. Subsequent hospital visits, including CAT and MRI scans, led to the shocking discovery by doctors: 38 parasites on her brain.
Further investigation revealed Denman had neurocysticercosis, an infection caused by the larvae of the pork tapeworm. According to the World Health Organization, humans contract the infection by consuming contaminated food like raw or undercooked pork, or through water contaminated with tapeworm eggs and poor hygiene practices. Her doctor, Dr. Brendan Healy, a consultant in infectious diseases and microbiology, believes she inadvertently consumed pork containing microscopic tapeworm eggs during her trip, despite trying to avoid meat to prevent food poisoning.
Years of Health Struggles
Denman was hospitalized for two weeks and treated with anti-parasitic drugs and steroids. For several years, the treatment appeared successful, allowing her to travel, move, and pursue activities like circus classes and running half marathons.
The condition resurfaced when she collapsed at work, with scans showing significant swelling around the parasites in her brain. This led to confusion, numbness, tingling, and a decline in her mental health, including paranoia, psychosis, severe anxiety, and panic attacks. She spent six weeks in a neuropsychiatric hospital. Her friend, Nicola Brown, described witnessing a significant deterioration in Denman’s behavior during a visit.
Denman eventually moved in with her father in Carmarthen. The steroids she was prescribed altered her appearance and contributed to her feeling isolated.
Recovery and Awareness
The journey to regaining her health has been long. After leaving the hospital, Denman felt she was not herself, either physically or mentally. However, she completed an art foundation course and later an interior design degree. By 2022, she had returned to work.
Dr. Healy described Denman’s case as exceptionally rare, noting it was a once-in-a-career patient, with many infectious disease consultants unlikely to encounter a similar presentation. Experts in the UK and US have discussed her case.
Currently, the parasites in Denman’s brain have calcified, meaning they have died down and hardened without the need for surgery. She has been seizure-free since 2017 but will remain on epilepsy medication for life. Dr. Healy confirmed that treatment had successfully killed the eggs, and she is now considered to be recovering.
Denman is now focused on moving forward and raising awareness about neurocysticercosis, emphasizing the importance of appreciating health and well-being.
Norman Pearlstine is the Chief Editor of News Raise and focuses on Business news. His responsibility is to oversee the editorial content including business, commodities, personal investments and the stock market.
