Recognizing Brain Stroke Symptoms: A Guide to Early Detection

People may often notice subtle inconveniences like headaches, nausea, or fatigue and disregard them as normal. But, these ‘normal’ situations can sometimes lead to a fatal disease like Brain tumour. Let’s learn more about the details of brain tumour symptoms.

Brain Tumours Explained

Brain tumours refer to unnatural cell growth in your brain and present several health complications. Sometimes, the growths start in many parts, including but not limited to the tissue of the brain, nerves, and membranes covering the brain. In addition, such unnatural cells can have non-cancerous growth, which is called benign, or even cancerous, which is called malignant.

Non-cancerous benign tumours grow very slowly and only affect the human brain. They never spread to other parts of the body. Examples of these tumours include meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, and pituitary adenomas.

In contrast, malignant tumours are cancerous growths that grow very rapidly. They invade nearby tissues and tend to metastasise to other distant organs and parts of the body. Examples include glioblastomas, astrocytomas, and medulloblastomas.

Common Symptoms of Brain Tumours

Common Symptoms

Different general symptoms are associated with brain tumours. These symptoms of a tumour in the head tend to be misdiagnosed as other less serious conditions, for instance:

Headaches: Severe headaches are a common symptom of brain tumours. They are usually harmless, accompanied by throbbing and may worsen in the morning. Such headaches often do not respond to over-the-counter painkillers and may even worsen with any physical activities or body movements.

Nausea and Vomiting: Early brain cancer symptoms might be unexplained bouts of nausea and vomiting, especially in the mornings. This occurs due to increased intracranial pressure, which affects the brain's vomiting centre. Unlike common gastrointestinal conditions, these symptoms are not food-related and happen without other signs of a stomach illness.

Fatigue: Fatigue may also indicate brain tumours, among other conditions. Other patients who have a brain tumour may experience long-term fatigue, which cannot be tolerated even by prolonged rest. This is due to how the body reacts to having a tumour or how the activity of a tumour disrupts standard brain function.

Neurological Symptoms

Apart from the general symptoms of a tumour in the head, there are several neurological symptoms a person with a brain tumour has to face:

Seizures: Seizures are also signs associated with brain tumours, especially when a patient develops seizures despite no history of epilepsy. These mild seizures may escalate into vicious fits that involve the whole or part of the body. Seizures occur whenever the brain tumour disrupts electrical activity in the brain, causing the neurons to discharge abnormally and uncontrollably.

Changes in Vision: People with brain tumours often have their vision affected. They often suffer from blurred vision, double vision, or loss of peripheral assessments. Some tumours near the optic nerve or within areas of the brain that process visual information can impair sight.

Hearing Loss: Partial or complete hearing loss may also be experienced due to a brain tumour. When tumours affect either auditory nerves or brain parts responsible for hearing, detecting sound may become difficult. It can occur in one ear or both ears. Ringing sounds in the ears (tinnitus) and a full feeling in the earlobe might accompany this condition.

Cognitive and Psychological Symptoms

Brain tumours can also lead to cognitive and psychological changes, significantly impacting a person's mental health and behaviour.

Memory Loss: Memory loss, particularly short-term memory issues, is a common symptom. In such cases, individuals suffer and have trouble remembering.

Mood Changes: Mood changes, including increased irritability, depression, or anxiety, can indicate a brain tumour. These mood swings are sudden and can affect relationships and overall well-being. The tumour's influence on brain areas that control emotions leads to such changes.

Cognitive Decline: Cognitive decline, which involves trouble concentrating, solving problems and making decisions, may occur in people who suffer from brain tumours. Patients may find it difficult to perform tasks requiring mental effort.

Physical Symptoms

The physical symptoms caused by brain tumours relate to mobility and daily functioning. The effects can also be quite alarming and demand quick medical attention.

Weak or Numb Limbs: Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs is one of the major symptoms witnessed when one suffers or develops a brain tumour. It is especially problematic if it happens on one side of the body. Coordination between different activities performed by an individual daily gets restricted.

Cognitive problems: Cerebellum and brainstem tumours are malignant and may damage the areas controlling these activities. The most common symptoms are dizziness, unsteadiness, and an increased tendency to fall.

Difficulty Speaking or Swallowing: Difficulty speaking can occur with dysarthria or difficulty swallowing due to a tumour in the brain. This is witnessed when the tumour rapidly spreads to that area and muscle responsible for activities regarding speech and swallowing. This creates choking problems and restricts the patient from communicating clearly.

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When To Visit Doctor

If you have any of these symptoms, it is essential to see a doctor immediately:

Persistent Headaches: If you suffer from constant headaches and don't get better with normal medications, consider visiting the doctor. This is necessary if they are especially unbearable in the mornings.

Nausea and Vomiting: When your recurrent nausea or vomiting has no apparent cause, especially in the mornings, then you must not take this lightly since it may indicate raised intracranial pressure caused by a tumour.

Seizures: Since seizures have not been part of your record, or if one suddenly experiences convulsions, you must check it immediately without any more hesitation.

Vision Changes: Blurry vision, double vision, and loss of peripheral sight are the warning signs. These may happen due to the development near the optic nerve or visual areas in the brain.

Memory Loss and Mental Decline: Forgetting recent events, mood swings, and mental decline are significant enough to be evaluated by a professional.

Weakness and Numbness: If you feel weakness or numbness in your limbs for no apparent reason, more so on one side of your body, the condition necessitates immediate action.

Weakened balance and coordination: Some major areas of concern include dizziness, staggering movements, and frequent falls.

If you are facing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you can consider visiting Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, which offers advanced cancer treatment facilities and experienced oncologists. Moreover, Max Healthcare Group provides comprehensive cancer care with a multidisciplinary approach. Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital is famous for its technology and expert oncologists.

Conclusion

Knowing and diagnosing symptoms of a tumour in the head at an earlier stage can help provide you with timely medication. Some of the basic symptoms of a brain tumour that should not be taken lightly or neglected are recurring headaches, unexplained nausea, seizures, vision changes, and loss of memory, among other brain-related medical issues. In delineation, if the above-mentioned symptoms develop, it is worth seeking help from Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital and Max Healthcare Group’s experts for protection against brain tumours.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Can You Identify the Earliest Signs of Brain Tumour?

In some cases, the first symptoms of a brain tumour may include continuous migraines, nausea and vomiting tendencies, long-term tiredness or fatigue and sudden unexplained changes in moods. You may also notice some neurological changes in your sight, hearing, or seizures.

2. Is There Any Cure for Brain Tumours?

The cure for brain tumours depends on their type, size, and location. Surgery usually works best with benign types, while malignant ones will require surgery plus radiation therapy and chemotherapy. It is highly important to detect them early to increase the chances of successful treatments, leading to good outcomes later on.

3. Who Treats Brain Tumours?

Brain tumours are managed by a team of experts consisting of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and oncologists. These specialists work together at renowned hospitals like Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, from identification through disease management to post-treatment care.

4. How Do Doctors Diagnose Brain Tumours?

Medical practitioners may use several methods to diagnose brain tumours. These include taking medical histories from patients alongside physical tests using advanced imaging techniques. Common procedures involve Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and computerised Tomography scans (CT scans).