20ft tapeworm discovered inside man suffering with stomach pains

The creature was blamed on the man's love of eating raw beef

Beef tapeworm can grow over 65ft in length (NHS)

A man suffering from stomach pain was found have a 20ft tapeworm inside his small intestine.

The man from Shiyan, China, had spent two years being examined by different doctors, who treated him for stomach ache and chronic anemia.

His symptoms included abdominal pain, vomiting, anorexia, general weakness, and weight loss - according to New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors at Hubei University of Medicine studied the 38-year-old's faeces and found an embryonic tapeworm egg.

The patient admitted he liked eating raw beef which is known to carry the parasite.

His doctors prescribed him a drug to counter parasitic infections and a laxative.

Two and a half hours later, he excreted a tapeworm found to be Taenia saginata - beef tapeworm.

According to the Mayo Clinic, beef tapeworm can grow over 20m in length and can live up to 30 years.

Three months after treatment the man was experiencing no symptoms, and had recovered his appetite and gained weight.