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What are headaches with brain tumors: frequency, character, localization

Headache is the most common ailment. It occurs irrespective of sex and age of the person. Everyone has experienced it: someone once, and someone feels it every day, sometimes it is so strong that it becomes simply unbearable.

Headache if a brain tumor

General characteristics pathology

The Cephalalgia is one of the most frequent pain syndromes is not completely understood. From time to time, a headache to everyone, but not everyone knows what kind of pain they are experiencing. The most common are:

  • tension headache
  • cluster (beam)
  • headache;
  • in connection with the increase in blood pressure;
  • increased intracranial or ocular pressure;
  • in connection with a previous head injury.

Headaches can be included in the General symptoms of the disease, that is, they arise not only when a particular illness. The nature of such feelings can be different: severe pain in head, stabbing, aching, squeezing, throbbing. According to statistics, about 90% people suffer from such malaise, which sometimes leads to depression and deterioration of the General condition of the patient, and this adversely affects the treatment and recovery of patients. Causes of pain can be very different. Depending on the pain they are divided into primary and secondary.

Headaches with brain tumors

The Primary do not depend on any organic fault in the cerebral cortex and are not connected with neoplastic processes of the brain. The mechanism of pain development are not completely understood, but a common feature for this type of pain is the lack of structural damage. To the primary head pain is a migraine (it occurs in 35%) and tension headache (50%).

The Secondary is the investigation, the symptoms and complications of other diseases, both associated with damage to the brain and other structures in the head and neck, and other organs. Causes can be infectious diseases (ARI, SARS), sinusitis, hypertension, increased intraocular and intracranial pressure, transferred zchmt, osteochondrosis and many other diseases.

warning signs: urgently to the doctor

Signals that need to react and seek help, quite often the patient ignores and takes painkillers, thereby concealing the cause of symptoms and triggering its state.

Urgent help require:

  1. Constant intense headaches.
  2. Intense pain, which appeared abruptly at full health.
  3. the Seizure is continuing for longer than usual time.
  4. the Attack is accompanied by:
    • dizziness, impaired consciousness, loss of orientation or movement disorders;
    • shortness of breath, profuse sweat;
    • vomiting that doesn't relieve the condition;
    • spasm stiff muscles and increase body temperature
    • loss of consciousness, disturbances of vision, hearing, olfaction;
  5. pain after a head injury (no matter how long after the trauma has passed).
  6. the migraine Attack does not pass within 72 hours.

brain Tumors occur slightly more often than others, but they occupy the second position in the ranking of causes of death among cancer diseases. This is due mainly to the fact that, ignoring the symptoms, patients avoid seeking medical attention in the early stages of the disease. Not to miss a disease, you must know some signs that indicate its presence. But do not forget, that the diagnosis can and should only physician and only after complete examination. This was done using computer tomography and magnetic resonance examination of the brain. The nature of headache in Oncology to distinguish from others, the main thing is to pay attention to it, not to postpone visit to the doctor.

Symptoms of brain tumors

  1. Constantly stronger after sleep, but during the day can weaken.
  2. close to the intensity of migraine pain occurs at night, during sleep, and may be accompanied by a perverted, twisted mind.
  3. Feeling the throbbing pain in his head.
  4. Various double vision in the eyes, skin numbness, hypotonic muscle tone.
  5. Headache that occurs when changing position of the body. The nature of this pain can be intense or tolerable.
  6. Vomiting that does not stop and has no reason.
  7. loss of coordination.
  8. Broken.
  9. Syncope (nature and frequency depends on how far into the process).
  10. Morning pain in the head, which can not be removed analgesics and accompanied by vomiting and nausea.
  11. the Emergence of olfactory hallucinations, ordinary odors are perceived perversely. For example, the smell of garlic the patient seems sweet or floral.

The Pain in my head for tumors often can not be removed analgesics,starts in the morning. When changing body position, coughing, blowing your nose and even the belly strain increases.

The Emergence of such symptoms – a strong argument in favor of going to the doctor. And it is worth remembering that only he can establish an accurate diagnosis.

Symptoms of brain tumors and the nature of the clinical picture largely depends on the affected area. In General cerebral symptoms is headache, which occurs because of a tumor growth. It increases and compresses nerve endings, so after sleep there is a feeling of fullness in the head due to the swelling of the brain.

during the day there will be a relief, but in advanced stages this feeling is permanent or occurs frequently. People who are over 50, you can become inattentive, appear mental disorders, patients can become aware of and understand what is happening around. Patients begin to talk very slowly, can't find the right words.

the Relationship of symptoms with localization of cancer

Localization of brain tumors

  1. the Defeat of the frontal lobes

The Frontal area (the area) is involved in the control and management of behavior, support the vertical position of the body, is responsible for the acquisition of motor skills. Frontal area is important, because it is responsible for abstract thinking and attention, social functions. If the tumor kill her, all activities that the patient performed before the disease, become he is not familiar, he felt as if he's doing it for the first time. Disturbed behaviour, personality change.

Symptoms of a lesion of this zone are:

  • seizures
  • the patient's behavior is unstable;
  • motion and coordination infringed;
  • loss of taste
  • change in mood (depression, euphoria);
  • appear movements that the patient cannot control.

If such symptoms are observed quite often, you should consult a neurologist and neurosurgeon. The nature of such symptoms may indicate a serious lesion of the cerebral cortex. To confirm the diagnosis at early stages difficult. Carried out CT and MRI. Using such diagnostic measures can learn about the presence of a brain tumor, its size, histological structure.

  1. temporal lobe Tumor

The defeat of the temporal lobe tumor also leads to increased intracranial pressure. Sensations in the first place give an opportunity to the suspect cancer. My head hurts on both sides, a frequent symptom in tumours epileptic seizures are preceded by hallucinations, gustatory and visual aura.

In childhood, the aura manifests itself in the form of fear, dizziness. If brain tumors are located deep in the temporal lobe, may develop hemianopsia (blindness of one eye), this is due to the compression of the optic tract.

  1. lesions of the parietal region

Symptoms of tumor of the parietal region is diverse and depends on which zone of the cortex, it is adjacent. If the tumor struck postcentral gyrus, the patient reports loss of sensation on the side opposite the tumor. The nature and intensity of bouts with disease development are becoming longer.

A Neoplasm in the upper part of the parietal cortex leads to the appearance of painful paresthesias that spread to the trunk and the opposite side from the tumor. Develops paresis (weakness), muscle atrophy. In this state the patient is experiencing the seizures, preceded by twitching of the facial muscles on the opposite side of the tumor.

lesions of the lower parietal lobe of the brain leads to loss of sensitivity surface, and when the location of the tumor process close to the primary motor cortex in a patient appear cramps. The seizures start as twitching of facial muscles, and then the upper and lower extremities. Localization of tumor in both hemispheres leads to astereognosis the patient to the touch until you open your eyes, can't define one or the other thing.

Types of tumors

There are primary tumors that develop from brain tissue and adjacent structures. It neuroepithelial (glioma, astrocytoma), dural (meningioma), pituitary tumors (adenoma) and cranial nerves (neuroma). Primary tumors can be both benign and malignant.

Types of brain tumors

In addition, malignant neoplasms of other tissues and organs can give metastases (screenings) tumors in the brain. Such lesions are called secondary.

Localization depends on the type of tumor, take this into account when setting the preliminary diagnosis. Astrocytomas, for example, are often located in the cerebellum or of the big hemispheres, glioma in the temporal or frontal lobe, meningiomas are formed in the area of Sella, olfactory fossa and parietal area, neuromas amaze auditory and trigeminal nerve.

Clinical diagnosis of the pain syndrome

The Pain in tumor process of the brain has characteristic features that allow to differentiate it from other primary and secondary pain syndromes.

Migraine
Characteristics of paintumorsstress HeadachehypertensionCervicogenic painCluster
IntensityStrongThrobbing, very strongmild to moderateMedium intensityAverage tolerableParoxysmal, very strong
Localizationover the headPain in half of head, orbital-temporal regionForehead and back of neckOcciput and parietal regionmore Often in one half of the headIn the eye area, nose and eyebrows
CharacterConstantParoxysmalParoxysmalAt pressure increaseParoxysmalAttack consists of a series of painful episodes
DurationDailyFrom 4 up to 72 hoursFrom minutes to a few daysShortminutes to hours1-2 days
other symptomsPain after sleeping, confusion, vomiting, pain during sleep, numbness of skin, blurry visionNausea, vomiting, photophobiaWeakness, depressed mood, depressionNausea, dizziness, vomiting, weaknessringing in the ears, morning stiffness of the neck muscles. Massage and painkillers helpTachycardia, lacrimation, unilateral nasal congestion. Alcohol intake can cause pain

You Should seek help from professionals, because early treatment will be more effective and the prognosis above. Description of symptoms, information on the types and location of the tumor provided for educational purposes only. To try to diagnose the tumor alone is not worth it.

the Diagnosis of brain tumors

Remember that a timely appeal for assistance – the key to successful treatment of the disease. Do not self-medicate. Often people are treated when the disease is already progressing and irreversible processes occur in the cortex of the brain, making treatment difficult and sometimes brings death.

To specify the size and location of the cancer, as well as to make a guess about its nature, the additional studies.

Methods of diagnosissurvey results
Radiology researchHelps detect tumors whose growth is accompanied by calcification of tissues
Electroencephalography (EEG)defines the disorders in the functioning of the cortex, which suggests localization of the tumor process
Rheoencephalography (REG)allows to determine the blood supply to the pool of extra - and intracerebral vessels
Thermography of the headWith the modified temperature of the brain parts is determined by the cause of pain
Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonanceReliable method to identify the size and location of the cancer, as well as to make a guess about its nature
bone scan of headProvides the ability to diagnose a brain tumor

Sources:

  1. Neuropathology. Badalyan, P. S. – M., 2007. – with 335-339
  2. concise medical encyclopedia. Minakova, E. I.– M., 1989
  3. Clinical neurology. Konovalov, A. N. M.: Medicine, 2002
  4. the human Brain. Blumenau, L. V.– M., 1925
  5. Headache, Bokonjic R. (ed. by A. M. Wayne). – M.: Medicine, 1984. – 322с.