Cover image via AsiaWire
A 60-year-old man in China had a shock when he discovered why he had been suffering from an itchy throat for two months
Mr Li, who had been coughing up blood, received several misdiagnoses from medical professionals before seeking the help of a doctor at the Xingwen County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yibin, China.
It was there that doctors performed an endoscopy on him to see if they could locate the source of his discomfort, Mirror reported.
Image via AsiaWire
During the endoscopy, the doctor found a large, pulsating leech clinging onto the 60-year-old's windpipe
He was eventually able to retrieve the slippery 10 centimetre-long parasite from the man's throat.
Image via AsiaWire
Image via AsiaWire
Dr Zhang Dadong, who conducted the endoscopy, had to seek the help of his colleagues and an aerosol sedative to placate the leech before extracting it with a pair of forceps.
The doctors believed that Mr Li had swallowed leech eggs when he drank unboiled water two months prior
The larva hatched in his throat and fed on his blood for two months, increasing in size until it grew to its current 10cm.
Dr Zhang has advised locals to boil their water for their own safety, Mirror reported.
Image via Food & Wine
