TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical characteristics and management of neurocysticercosis patients: a retrospective assessment of case reports from Europe
AU - Stelzle, Dominik
AU - Abraham, Annette
AU - Kaminski, Miriam
AU - Schmidt, Veronika
AU - De Meijere, Robert
AU - Bustos, Javier A.
AU - Garcia, Hector Hugo
AU - Sahu, Priyadarshi Soumyaranjan
AU - Bobić, Branko
AU - Cretu, Carmen
AU - Chiodini, Peter
AU - Dermauw, Veronique
AU - Devleesschauwer, Brecht
AU - Dorny, Pierre
AU - Fonseca, Ana
AU - Gabriël, Sarah
AU - Morales, Maria Ángeles Gómez
AU - Laranjo-González, Minerva
AU - Hoerauf, Achim
AU - Hunter, Ewan
AU - Jambou, Ronan
AU - Jurhar-Pavlova, Maja
AU - Reiter-Owona, Ingrid
AU - Sotiraki, Smaragda
AU - Trevisan, Chiara
AU - Vilhena, Manuela
AU - Walker, Naomi
AU - Zammarchi, Lorenzo
AU - Winkler, Andrea Sylvia
PY - 2022/10/12
Y1 - 2022/10/12
N2 - Objectives Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium. NCC mainly occurs in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia and can cause a variety of clinical signs/symptoms. Although it is a rare disease in Europe, it should nonetheless be considered as a differential diagnosis. The aim of this study was to describe clinical characteristics and management of patients with NCC diagnosed and treated in Europe. Methods We conducted a systematic search of published and unpublished data on patients diagnosed with NCC in Europe (2000–2019) and extracted demographic, clinical and radiological information on each case, if available. Results Out of 293 identified NCC cases, 59% of patients presented initially with epileptic seizures (21% focal onset); 52% presented with headache and 54% had other neurological signs/symptoms. The majority of patients had a travel or migration history (76%), mostly from/to Latin America (38%), Africa (32%) or Asia (30%). Treatment varied largely depending on cyst location and number. The outcome was favorable in 90% of the cases. Conclusions Management of NCC in Europe varied considerably but often had a good outcome. Travel and migration to and from areas endemic for T. solium will likely result in continued low prevalence of NCC in Europe. Therefore, training and guidance of clinicians is recommended for optimal patient management.
AB - Objectives Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium. NCC mainly occurs in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia and can cause a variety of clinical signs/symptoms. Although it is a rare disease in Europe, it should nonetheless be considered as a differential diagnosis. The aim of this study was to describe clinical characteristics and management of patients with NCC diagnosed and treated in Europe. Methods We conducted a systematic search of published and unpublished data on patients diagnosed with NCC in Europe (2000–2019) and extracted demographic, clinical and radiological information on each case, if available. Results Out of 293 identified NCC cases, 59% of patients presented initially with epileptic seizures (21% focal onset); 52% presented with headache and 54% had other neurological signs/symptoms. The majority of patients had a travel or migration history (76%), mostly from/to Latin America (38%), Africa (32%) or Asia (30%). Treatment varied largely depending on cyst location and number. The outcome was favorable in 90% of the cases. Conclusions Management of NCC in Europe varied considerably but often had a good outcome. Travel and migration to and from areas endemic for T. solium will likely result in continued low prevalence of NCC in Europe. Therefore, training and guidance of clinicians is recommended for optimal patient management.
KW - Clinical epidemiology
KW - Europe
KW - Global Health
KW - NCC management
KW - neglected tropical diseases
KW - Neurocysticercosis
KW - One Health
KW - Taenia solium
U2 - 10.1093/jtm/taac102
DO - 10.1093/jtm/taac102
M3 - Review article
SN - 1195-1982
VL - 30
SP - etaac102
JO - Journal of Travel Medicine
JF - Journal of Travel Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - taac102
ER -