Doctor reveals two red flag symptoms that mean your headache could be sign of a brain tumour

Published On : 2024-11-21T23:23:20+0530 [ IST ] | Author : Mayur_Tembhare
Reading Time : 4 mins
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Brain tumours are one of the major contributing factors in case of brain cancer worldwide. There are more than 120 types of brain tumours and some can be cancerous or become cancerous. Although most brain tumours begin in the brain which are called primary brain tumours some brain tumours can spread to other parts of the brain or the spine

There are different types and stages of brain tumour. Grade 1 and 2 brain tumours are benign and grow slowly while grade 3 and 4 brain tumours are malignant and grow more quickly. Symptoms of brain tumours mostly depend on their location, size, and how fast they're growing.

Is your headache a sign of a brain tumour?

A bad headache can be as painful as it is scary. A bad headache not only take a toll on your body and affect your daily activities it is hard not to think the worst if you are unlucky enough to suffer with severe headaches often.

Sometimes the answer is simple – if the pain lasts longer or recurs more than often that might be a sign for you to get checked by a healthcare professional.

Dr Baibing Chen a medical professional offered an insight on 'Surrey Live' on how to distinguish between a harmless headache and one that could be a sign of something more serious.

Dr Chen explained that if a headache suddenly feels different like a thunderclap headache or if the headache is lasting longer than usual it could be of something serious like a bleed or tumour or aneurysm.

While normal headaches are quite common and there is typically nothing to worry about the thunderclap headache (named after the weather phenomenon) is characterised by excruciating pain akin to being struck in the head which might feel like some ‘blinding pain’ unlike anything experienced before.

According to Dr Chen sudden thunderclap headaches could indicate a burst blood vessel in the brain, potentially leading to lifelong disability, coma or even death.

Dr Chen also warned against the neck manipulation technique used by some chiropractors which could increase the risk of developing serious conditions. He warned that forceful neck adjustments could carry a rare but serious risk and that is vertebral artery dissection.

What is brain tumour?

What is a brain tumour?

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of cells in the brain or skull. Brain tumours can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). They can develop in many parts of the brain including the brainstem, sinuses, nasal cavity and skull base.

About one-third of brain tumours are cancerous. But whether they are cancerous or not brain tumours can impact brain function and your health if they grow large enough to press on surrounding nerves, blood vessels and

Effects of brain tumour: Effects of brain tumour:

Effects of brain tumours:

This is because your skull is rigid and doesn't provide room for the tumour to expand. Also if a tumour develops near parts of your brain that control vital functions it may cause symptoms such as acute weakness, difficulty in walking, problems with balance, partial or complete loss of vision, difficulty understanding or using language and loss of memory.

Symptoms of brain tumour:Brain tumours don't always cause symptoms and the most common brain tumour in adults, meningioma, often grows so slowly that it goes unnoticed. Symptoms of a brain tumour vary depending on the part of the brain affected

Symptoms of brain tumour:

Headaches:Headaches that are worse in the morning when coughing or straining. They may also be more frequent or severe than headaches you've had before.

Vision problems:Blurred or double vision loss of sight in the sides of your vision or difficulty identifying objects.

Balance problems:Loss of balance, dizziness or unsteadiness.

Speech problems:Difficulty speaking or finding words.

Memory problems: Memory loss or confusion.

Seizures:Seizures or convulsions especially if there is no history of seizures.

Personality or behaviour changes:Mental or behavioural changes such as changes in personality.

Weakness: Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.

Hearing problems: Loss of hearing.

Persistent feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness are also indicative of a brain tumour.

Treatment for brain tumour: Treatment for brain tumour:Brain tumour treatment depends on the type of tumour and can include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other treatments:

Treatment for brain tumour:

Surgery:The most common treatment for brain tumours. During surgery a small section of the skull is removed to cut out the tumour. The goal is to remove as much abnormal tissue as possible.

Radiation therapy:Uses radiation to kill cancer cells after surgery or to treat tumours that can't be surgically removed. Some types of radiation therapy include external beam radiation therapy stereotactic radiosurgery and proton therapy.

Chemotherapy:Uses medicine to kill cancer cells after surgery or to relieve symptoms if the tumour can't be removed. Common side effects include feeling sick and a drop in white blood cell levels.

Other treatments:Steroids can be prescribed to reduce swelling around the tumour. Other medicines can help with symptoms like seizures and headaches.

Supportive care:Can help reduce problems caused by the disease or its treatment.

Treatment for non-cancerous tumours is often successful and a full recovery is possible. However there's sometimes a small chance the tumour could return so regular follow-up appointments may be needed.

New mommy Dia Mirza shares a picture of her baby boy Avyaan.

Source : Reporters From Sunrise Chronicles

Tags : uses , He , Difficulty , Chemotherapy , Blurred , losscommon side effects include feeling sick , treatment , During , Loss , About ,

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