The article details a 30-year-old woman's mysterious illness that began with a burning sensation in her feet, escalating to severe discomfort and confusion. Despite two visits to emergency departments showing normal exams and elevated eosinophil levels, her condition worsened. After being taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, doctors identified the cause of her symptoms as parasitic worms infiltrating her brain, shedding light on the importance of thorough medical investigation in unclear cases.
Seven days into the illness, she went to a second emergency department. There, the findings were much the same: Normal exam, normal blood tests, normal kidney function, and high eosinophil count.
In a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors explain how they figured out the source of her fiery symptoms-worms burrowing into her brain.
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