10 Brain Tumor Symptoms You Need to Know

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The life hacker figured out what changes in health need to go to a neurologist.

What is a brain tumor and what is it like?

Brain tumor of the brain is a neoplasm that forms due to uncontrolled cell division.

By nature, all tumors are divided by Brain Tumors into two types:

• Benign Benign. They spread the surrounding cells and become covered with a capsule. The membrane prevents the neoplasm from spreading to other tissues.
• Malignant Malignancy, or Cancer. They sprout into adjacent parts of the brain, so they cannot be separated from healthy tissues.

In addition, Brain Tumors are differentiated by their site of origin. The primary ones grow immediately from the brain cells, while the secondary (metastatic) ones spread to this area from other organs. Secondary neoplasms are always malignant.

The exact causes of the disease are unknown. Doctors speculate on Brain Cancer (Brain Tumor) that heredity or radiation is to blame. Therefore, it is not yet possible to prevent the appearance of a neoplasm.

Any brain tumor can greatly worsen the state of health, because it puts pressure on the organ. Sometimes this leads Brain Cancer (Brain Tumor) to paralysis, the formation of a hernia, which, in turn, can cause a Brain herniation coma or even a stop of breathing and heartbeat. But if you know the symptoms, there is a chance to consult a neurologist in time and start treatment.

What are the symptoms of a brain tumor

Most often, neoplasms manifest themselves not by one sign, but by their combination. Here are 10 symptoms that can indicate both a benign tumor and cancer.

1. Headaches

This is one of the most common Signs & Symptoms of a brain tumor. When the neoplasm increases in size, it begins to press on the nerve endings or constricts the vessels, so pain appears. Here's how it differs from a common malaise:

• may be stronger in the morning after sleep, and then weaken;
• sometimes becomes permanent;
• aggravated by coughing, sneezing and exercise;
• may be accompanied by vomiting;
• pain cannot be relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers.

2. Cognitive impairment

Some people at the very beginning of the disease may notice that it is difficult for them to concentrate, speak, write or read. What kind of cognitive impairment will appear depends on where the Signs & Symptoms tumor grows:

• In the temporal lobe - speech deteriorates, it can become slurred or slowed down, incoherent.
• In the parietal lobe - a person loses the ability to reason, cannot read from right to left, or generally loses the reading skill, intelligence decreases.
• In the frontal lobe - the sick person cannot plan their actions, make decisions. For example, if he is offered two glasses of drinks, he will take a long time to choose, but he will never be able to take one. The ability to take initiative also disappears, behavior becomes inhibited.

In addition, due to a tumor in the temporal or frontal lobe, Signs & Symptoms memory is often impaired. Moreover, the short-term suffers most of all. This means that the person will remember the names of loved ones and events that have happened a long time ago. But he will easily forget where he put the keys, what he ate for breakfast or what he did yesterday.

3. Personality changes

Unlike tumors of other organs, neoplasms of the brain can greatly affect the character of Signs & Symptoms. And it is quickly noticed by others. For example, a kind person who was always happy to communicate suddenly becomes withdrawn and aggressive. Some develop arbitrary or domineering behavior, a desire to suppress others.

4. Convulsions

Electrical impulses pass between the cells of the brain along the nerve processes. When an obstacle in the form of a tumor appears in their path, the signal is forced to bypass other processes or be interrupted. Therefore, neurons send impulses with the wrong frequency. This sometimes causes Signs & Symptoms to have a seizure. Here are its features:

• It starts suddenly, unlike epilepsy, when a person feels the onset of seizures.
• Appears in stages. First, the consciousness and tone of the whole body are lost, and then the muscles twitch.
• It is accompanied by blue skin, or cyanosis. This is due to respiratory arrest. It usually lasts no longer than 30 seconds.
• During an attack, control over body functions disappears. Therefore, there may be involuntary urination.
• Lasts 2-3 minutes.

Not everyone has seizures, but sometimes this is the first symptom of a brain tumor.

5. Depression and mood swings

The tumor disrupts the functioning of the brain: serotonin and endorphins are incorrectly synthesized in it. Therefore, every fourth Signs & Symptoms person with such a diagnosis suffers from depression. This is not just a bad mood, but a state that is accompanied by a breakdown, loss of interest in life and usual activities, a feeling of worthlessness or guilt. Some even develop suicidal thoughts.

Mood swings are sometimes observed. At first, a person is happy and satisfied with everything, but then for no apparent reason he becomes angry and aggressive or begins to cry.

6. Psychoneurological symptoms

With a brain tumor, symptoms may appear that are similar to the manifestations of mental signs & Symptoms disorders. For example, a person has hallucinations or hears voices. Sometimes he talks about being watched (delirium of persecution), becomes suspicious even of close people and pathologically jealous. Some have delusions of grandeur, while others do not adequately assess any criticism addressed to them.

7. Feeling tired

With a brain tumor, the body spends a lot of resources to maintain its functions. Therefore, a person gets Signs & Symptoms a constant feeling of fatigue, which can be combined with insomnia. Habitual work quickly tires you. It seems that there is not enough energy, and the arms and legs become heavy.

8. Mass effect

This is the name of a group of symptoms that indicate Signs & Symptoms to an increase in intracranial pressure. The fact is that the skull cannot stretch, and the tumor that appears presses on the nerve tissues, blood vessels, and ventricles of the brain. Of these, the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid is difficult - the fluid that circulates in the skull and spinal cord. As a result, a person is worried about:

• headache;
• visual impairment;
• vomit;
• drowsiness;
• behavior change.

9. Focal symptoms

The tumor can be located in areas of the brain that are responsible for certain movements or functions of the body. Therefore, doctors separately distinguish focal symptoms. These include Signs & Symptoms:

• buzzing or ringing in your ears;
• loss of muscle tone or paralysis in any part of the body;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• wobbly gait;
• inability to maintain body balance;
• double vision.

10. Endocrine disorders

If a tumor has formed from cells that perform an endocrine function, then a person will have hormonal disorders. Most often they are characteristic of benign neoplasms of the pituitary gland Pituitary tumors. What the symptoms will be depends on whether there are more or less hormones.

If a person produces a lot of adrenocorticotropin, then there are signs of an endocrine disease - Cushing's syndrome:

• Fat accumulates in the abdomen, and the arms and legs lose weight.
• The face becomes round.
• Blood pressure rises.
• Stretch marks and bruises appear on the skin, acne.
• Blood sugar rises.
• The loss of calcium increases, so osteoporosis develops.

If the growth hormone becomes more than normal, the person sweats more, complains of pain in the joints and in the heart. Facial features gradually coarse, nose and ears may become enlarged, as well as hands and feet.

With excessive synthesis of prolactin in women, menstruation completely disappears or becomes irregular, and milk is released from the mammary glands. In men, erection worsens, there is no desire for sex, breasts grow.

If the tumor secretes a lot of thyroid-stimulating hormone, then signs of hyperthyroidism appear. The person is easily irritated, sweats a lot, quickly loses weight and feels a rapid heartbeat even at rest.

What to do if symptoms of a brain tumor appear

The listed signs can speak not only of brain tumors, but also, for example, Stroke stroke. Therefore, self-diagnosis is not worth it. It is better, if you suspect a pathology, immediately consult a neurologist.

The doctor will conduct an examination, prescribe blood tests, X-rays or an MRI of the brain in order to make an accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, choose a treatment.