Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City have removed an over-one-meter-long beef tapeworm from the intestines of a 56-year-old local man.
The patient first arrived at Cho Ray Hospital in District 5 for a health examination and underwent a gastrointestinal endoscopy as part of the procedure.
Doctors then discovered a beef tapeworm inside his duodenum.
They were only able to pull the worm out halfway and had to give the patient cathartics to completely remove it from his body.
The tapeworm measured more than one meter long.
The patient said he usually eats rare beef, which he prepares by squeezing lime juice on the meat and pouring boiling water over it.
The man is also being treated for liver fibrosis as an inpatient at Cho Ray.
According to Dr. Tang Trung Hieu, who works at the hospital’s endoscopy unit, tapeworms can grow to up to 2-4 meters long inside humans' small intestine.
People who are infected with tapeworms often suffer prolonged anemia, malnutrition, digestive disorders, and abdominal pain.
In order to prevent this, it is highly recommended that one only consume food that is properly cooked and has a clear origin, said Dr. Hieu.
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