He went to the doctor for a headache and they found a worm in his brain

The 59-year-old man turned to a medical guard for severe headaches and they found he had a 10-centimeter worm in his head. This striking episode has unfolded in the city of Guangzhou, south of China.

Patient with the surname Zhang stated that the headaches started around 1989, but after consulting various doctors, they could not find the exact diagnosis. "My head started hurting me in 1989. I also had headaches and was sweating at night," he said.

Some doctors told Zhang that he was suffering from epilepsy and had even given him medications that were not working. But at the hospital, they managed to find the correct diagnosis, diagnosing a parasitic infection requiring immediate intervention.

A 10-centimeter worm was extracted from the patient's head and early hypotheses indicate that he could have stayed there for 30 years, thus causing discomfort to the man.

Yan Xueqiang, chief medical officer of the hospital's neurosurgery department, said the worm could have been produced by drinking river water or eating frogs or undercooked snakes, which actions could easily generate parasitic infections.

Zhang lives in a village in the middle of the mountain and very often eats poorly cooked frogs and water without purification. After the operation, the man revealed that he had fully recovered and that his constant headaches had disappeared.