Neurocysticercosis in child bearing women: an overlooked condition in Mozambique and a potentially missed diagnosis in women presenting with Eclampsia

Abstract

Several studies suggest that neurocysticercosis might be one of the main reasons for onset of seizures in adolescents and young adults in Mozambique, however, no studies have evaluated the burden and impact of the disease in women of childbearing age. This is also true for other parasitic diseases such as toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis and onchocerciasis, although the latter has been reported in some regions in central and northern Mozambique. We describe herein an 18 year old female who was admitted to Hospital Central de Quelimane, Zambézia Province in Mozambique, 8 days after delivery with a misdiagnosis of eclampsia that turned out to be neurocysticercosis. We discuss challenges in the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis in women of childbearing age and the potential for missed diagnosis in those who present with eclampsia and other conditions associated with seizures.