A tapeworm is a parasite that is produced by several different species of tapeworm. Tapeworm is caused from eating the eggs or larva of infected and undercooked pork, beef or freshwater fish, as well as living in unsanitary conditions. The World Health Organization states that tapeworm symptoms affect up to 50 million people worldwide. Unsanitary living conditions encourage the transmission of tapeworm.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, many people with tapeworm do not have symptoms. When people do have symptoms, the GI system is affected the most. The Merck Manual states that people may be able to feel the tapeworm move around the area of the anus or see a part of the worm in the stool. Before it gets to that point, other symptoms of the GI system are nausea, diarrhea, upper abdominal pain and loss of appetite. The tapeworm is a parasite and feeds off of the food in the small intestine. Since all of the food the body ingests passes through the intestines, the parasite has rich food supply. The optimal conditions of the small intestine allow for the parasite to live very well. In fact, the Mayo Clinic states there have been reports of human tapeworms growing up to 50 feet long and living for up to 20 years in one human host.
Anemia
The tapeworm has suckers on its head to allow it to attach to the intestinal walls. Since the tapeworm uses a person's food supply, it helps itself to many of the nutrients that the human host needs as well. The fish tapeworm specifically takes a large amount of vitamin B12. In the human body, B12 is used for energy and to help make red blood cells. If there is not enough B12, red blood cells are not able to mature enough to carry oxygen around the body. A reduction in red blood cells can lead to anemia. The Mayo Clinic indicates symptoms of anemia are fatigue, pale skin, irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath.
Cysts
Tapeworm larva have the ability to migrate out of the intestines. When they migrate out, they tend to form cysts or a closed sack-like structure. These cysts can form anywhere in the body, but they mostly form in the central nervous system of the brain and the abdomen. The cysts can cause blindness if they end up in the eyes. But most of the time, the World Health Organization claims, they cause seizures. Up to 50,000 people a year die from parasitic cysts in the nervous system (human neurocysticercosis).
The cysts that end up in the abdomen grow slowly over time. The only way to fix these cysts is through surgical removal. Up to 24 percent of the population in developing countries can be affected in endemic areas.
