10 Tapeworm Symptoms
Different animals have found different ways to live and survive in the wild. This will often involve living off others, often consuming them for the nutrition they will provide. Other animals will live off animals in another way—literally living on them or inside them and using them as a steady source of nutrition.
In some cases, such creatures will live in the digestive systems of others. Here, they will feed off whatever food their host is eating. They can be found in the digestive systems of animals throughout the animal kingdom, including people.
Tapeworms are one kind of parasitic worm found in people, and they can lead to a variety of symptoms. Below are 10 symptoms of having a tapeworm infection.
Symptom #1: Appetite Loss
When we are sick, it is generally very important to continue eating as much as we are able to. This is because it is important to continue taking on nutrition, which can be used in the fight against illness. If you do lose your appetite, you should try to continue taking on nutrition regardless.
Tapeworms usually live in the intestines of their hosts and some of them may even grow to 5 and 10 meters long. Due to their intestinal location, it is common for them to cause several intestinal-related symptoms like appetite loss.
Symptom #2: Increase in Appetite
Tapeworm infections can affect different people in different ways. While some people can find that they lose their appetite, others can experience the complete opposite symptoms. Many people with a tapeworm infection find that it actually increases their appetite.
This increase in appetite is because the tapeworm is taking much of the nutrition from our food for itself. This means that we are deprived of the nutrients in our food, and we are left feeling hungry for more. Such an increase in appetite can be caused by various things and is something that you should get checked out by a doctor.
Symptom #3: Nausea
We’ve all been there at some point. Your stomach feels uncomfortable and your head feels queasy. Plus, of course, there’s the feeling that you are going to throw up at any minute. Nausea can be the cause of a huge number of things, including a tapeworm infection.
A tapeworm infection will often cause nausea because it can irritate the digestive system. This will cause a general feeling of being unwell and a feeling that you need to empty the contents of your stomach. It can lead to vomiting, and this can lead to problems with malnutrition and dehydration. You should arrange to see a doctor if symptoms persist.
Symptom #4: Diarrhea
Nutrients in the food that we eat are not absorbed instantly. The same goes for the liquids that we drink. Therefore, the food needs to travel fairly slowly through the digestive system so that the body has time to absorb what it needs. If food passes through the digestive system too quickly, it can cause diarrhea.
When the digestive system is irritated by the presence of a tapeworm, the food is likely to be passed through faster than usual. This will result in watery stools because there has not been sufficient time for liquids to be absorbed. Diarrhea can pose a risk of dehydration and can be a serious problem in particularly vulnerable people.
Symptom #5: Weakness
We get our strength from the food that we eat. Nutrients like proteins help us to build and develop muscles, while other nutrients are metabolized by the body to give us energy. If this nutrition ends up somewhere else, though, then we can be left feeling weak without it.
As a tapeworm absorbs nutrients from the food that we eat, we are left unable to get the energy that we need. We will be left feeling lethargic and feeling as though we don’t have the energy to do what we would usually do. Sudden weakness can be caused by a wide range of problems and should encourage you to see a doctor.
Symptom #6: PICA
When it comes to dinner time, we usually get tucked into anything from a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, fungi, and meats. These tasty foods are packed full of the nutrition that helps keep us alive and well. If something is not food, then there is little point in eating it as it provides little to no nutrition.
PICA, however, is a condition that causes people to develop appetites for nonfood stuff. Tapeworm infections can cause this and, in such cases, the cravings are often for salt. The craving can also be for other items such as soil or just about anything else. Not only will eating such items not give you the nutrition you need, but you could also end up eating something harmful.
Symptom #7: Weight Loss
Weight loss might sound like a good idea to many people. It is something that should always be managed carefully, though, and extreme and sudden weight loss can be very dangerous to your health. Such weight loss can be experienced with tapeworm infections, and it is something that will need to be addressed.
As the parasites steal the nutrients from our gastrointestinal tract, weight loss will slowly appear. Many patients may find it odd to lose weight and have an increased appetite, and sometimes this is what causes them to seek medical attention. Weight loss can be the sign of numerous potentially serious illnesses so it is something that you should arrange to get checked out.
Symptom #8: Allergic Reactions
Allergies can be quite serious. While they will do little more than cause discomfort for some people, they can be a very real threat to the life of many others. People can develop allergies to just about anything around them, and this can include tapeworm larvae.
If the larvae are able to migrate out of the digestive system, it can lead to some potentially severe allergic reactions. Most allergic manifestations are asthma-like symptoms, allergic rhinitis, and urticaria.
Symptom #9: Lumps
It is not unusual to find various lumps and bumps in the body, especially as we get older. Thankfully, the vast majority of these are harmless and can be left alone, although some might choose to remove them for aesthetic reasons. Some lumps, though, are not so harmless and can present a real threat.
In severe infections, tapeworm larvae and eggs can end up leaving the digestive system and finding themselves in the body’s tissues. This can form lumps, or cysts, which can be found in tissues throughout the body. Whether or not these are harmful will depend largely on where they are located.
Symptom #10: Seizures
Tapeworm larvae can find themselves escaping the digestive system and infecting other tissues in the body. They will often be found in the muscles, where they are quite harmless, but they can sometimes be found in the brain. Here, they can present a very real threat to the patient’s health.
When they make it to the brain, the eggs and larvae can form cysts, and these can start to affect the functioning of the brain. This can, in turn, lead to a variety of neurological symptoms, including seizures. This is a condition that is known as neurocysticercosis, and it has the potential to be very serious for the patient.
