Woman's moving facial bumps turn out to be roundworm
- 6 years ago
MOSCOW — A woman used selfies to document bumps migrating around her face, and was horrified to discover what was actually inside.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the 32-year-old spotted the first nodule just below her left eye. Five days later, it appeared as three small bumps above her left eye. After 10 days, it migrated again, this time to her upper lip, making it swell significantly.
The nodules were itchy and caused a burning sensation, though no other symptoms were reported.
Doctors suspected some sort of parasite after seeing the patient's selfies, and spotted a moving oblong nodule during the physical exam.
They surgically removed the unwanted visitor using forceps, revealing it to be a 9-millimeter-long roundworm. The worm was later identified as Dirofilaria repens, which is more commonly found in dogs and spread through mosquitoes.
The woman recalled being bitten by mosquitoes during a recent trip to a rural area outside Moscow, and likely got infected there.
Doctors say she has recovered fully since being rid of the nasty worm.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the 32-year-old spotted the first nodule just below her left eye. Five days later, it appeared as three small bumps above her left eye. After 10 days, it migrated again, this time to her upper lip, making it swell significantly.
The nodules were itchy and caused a burning sensation, though no other symptoms were reported.
Doctors suspected some sort of parasite after seeing the patient's selfies, and spotted a moving oblong nodule during the physical exam.
They surgically removed the unwanted visitor using forceps, revealing it to be a 9-millimeter-long roundworm. The worm was later identified as Dirofilaria repens, which is more commonly found in dogs and spread through mosquitoes.
The woman recalled being bitten by mosquitoes during a recent trip to a rural area outside Moscow, and likely got infected there.
Doctors say she has recovered fully since being rid of the nasty worm.