20 foot tapeworm leads to man's 22 pound weight loss

The lengthy parasite found its way inside the man because of his love for eating raw meat.

When he lost more than 20 pounds in three days and couldn’t shake a stomach ache, doctors took a closer look and found a piece of “a beef tapeworm.

Livescience reports "the parasite had attached to the 38-year-old man's small intestine and had likely been inside him for at least two years."

Medical teams began treatment by giving the man laxative type drugs. The New England Journal of Medicine writes, "two and one-half hours after the administration of mannitol, the patient discharged a tapeworm that measured 6.2 meters."

While tapeworm infections are not unusual in some nations, they are rare in Central China.

Doctor Jian Li told the South China Morning Post the patient was doing well despite the ordeal. "It was physically, emotionally and financially exhausting for him," Li noted.

More here.