Key Takeaways
Kennedy claimed that the parasite had caused brain damage and memory loss, from which he has since recovered.
It can take months to years after infection for the symptoms to occur, usually when the cysts start dying. Seizures and headaches are the most common symptoms of neurocysticercosis. Confusion, difficulty with balance, and lack of attention to people and surroundings may also happen. This could result in death.
People cannot get this condition from eating undercooked pork unless the pork contains larval cysts. The eggs are typically spread through food, water, or contaminated surfaces. Those who live in close proximity to an infected individual are at a higher risk of infection.
What Happens When a Tapeworm Infects the Brain?
Claudia Perez, MD, an associate professor and neurology clerkship director at Texas Christian University, said that the tapeworm itself doesn’t cause damage, but rather the brain’s reaction to a cyst is what leads to symptoms.
Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, said the evidence of neurocysticercosis often appears during imaging for unrelated health issues.“They’re very commonly seen when we get head CTs on people for other issues, for example, a headache, or a trauma, or a little confusion,” Segil told Verywell. “You see these abnormalities in the brain that look like teeth because they’re calcified or they look like little chips of bone in the brain.”
How Can You Avoid Getting a Brain Worm?
Segil said people who contract neurocysticercosis multiple times are at a higher risk of experiencing symptoms like seizures. Treatment options may include surgery to remove the cysts, as well as anti-parasitic medications and anti-inflammatories to eliminate the parasite and alleviate inflammation.
Cysticercosis is primarily seen in rural areas of developing countries, where pigs roam freely and consume human feces, according to the CDC. Sometimes people can get this condition even if they’ve never traveled outside of the U.S.
To best protect yourself from a tapeworm infection, you should always wash your hands with soap after using the toilet, changing diapers, and before handling food.
“To prevent neurocysticercosis infections, one should always go to restaurants where there is good hygiene,” Segil said. “This is a reason people sometimes shy away from street vendors for food, because street vendors for food with pork products make you at high risk for this.”
What This Means For YouWhile the exact details of RFK’s infection remain unclear, conditions that can cause brain-based symptoms, including neurocysticercosis, are a possibility for members of the public.
What This Means For You
While the exact details of RFK’s infection remain unclear, conditions that can cause brain-based symptoms, including neurocysticercosis, are a possibility for members of the public.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - cysticercosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cysticercosis FAQs.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - cysticercosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cysticercosis FAQs.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - cysticercosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cysticercosis FAQs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - cysticercosis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cysticercosis FAQs.
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