Neurocysticercosis Presenting With Status Epilepticus in a Young South African Male Patient in Saudi Arabia: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage (Cysticercus cellulosae) of Taenia solium, is a leading cause of seizures in developing countries. Neurocysticercosis is considered rare in the Arabian Peninsula because of the Islamic prohibition on pork ingestion. We report a case of a 34-year-old male patient who had recently immigrated from South Africa to Saudi Arabia and presented to our emergency department with generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Computed tomography of the head revealed multiple intraparenchymal cystic lesions with a central scolex that were surrounded by minimal edema, along with multiple nodular calcifications; serology was positive for cysticercus IgG antibodies. The patient was treated with albendazole followed by praziquantel in conjunction with dexamethasone and achieved optimal recovery after treatment. Although rare in Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of neurocysticercosis is increasing and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of new-onset seizures, especially among immigrants.