Cortical Blindness Due to Neurocysticercosis in an Adolescent Patient

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a common cause of recent-onset seizures in both adults and children in tropical areas, especially when there is no other suggestion of another underlying neurological disorder. In addition, there have been reports of very rare cases of bilateral cortical blindness caused by this helminth in children. It is still unclear whether healthy adolescents with no pre-existing health problems could be vulnerable to developing such sequelae due to NCC. We report a case of a 14-year-old African boy from Nigeria with bilateral cortical blindness caused by NCC due to Taenia solium. According to the boy’s mother, symptoms began with headaches, vomiting, fatigue, visual loss, and fever (40.0 °C). Clinical investigations led to a diagnosis of cortical blindness and encephalitis due to NCC. Appropriate treatment was administered, and it resulted in the resolution of most symptoms, though the patient remained permanently blind.