Brain edema: causes,

symptoms, diagnosis and

treatment.
Information

Brain edema: causes, symptoms,

diagnosis and treatment.
Swelling of the brain - a dangerous condition that is accompanied by
the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues of the brain and spinal
cord. This phenomenon threatens very dangerous consequences, as
increased intracranial pressure can cause damage to a particular area of
the cerebral cortex.
Brain swelling and its causes

In fact, this state can be due to several factors. Brain swelling can be
the result of trauma, and occur in the presence of certain diseases. The
following are the most common causes:

 traumatic brain injury;

 stroke;
 diseases involving inflammation of the brain or its membranes,
including meningitis and encephalitis;
 brain tumor that grows in size;
  anaphylactic shock;
 severe intoxication, including drug and alcohol overdose;
 serious infectious disease;
 some diseases of the cardiovascular system;
 burn disease.

Brain edema: symptoms

This state can be accompanied by a variety of reasons. The main

symptoms depend on the location of edema, its duration and severity.
However, today I decided to allocate three main symptoms:

 symptoms associated with increased intracranial pressure -

these include regular raspyrayuschye headaches, feelings of
nausea and vomiting, rarely seizures;
 focal symptoms directly related to localized edema. If the
accumulation of fluid puts pressure on one of the parts of the brain,
the symptoms appear relevant. For example, when damaged the
visual center decreases. This group also includes gait, paralysis,
speech problems, etc.;
 Stem symptoms are observed in cases where there is swelling in
the brain stem, where important centers of life, including the
centers of heartbeat, breathing, etc. Sometimes in these
conditions there is a violation of the body's thermoregulation,
difficulty breathing, loss of innate reflexes.
 Brain edema diagnosis
If the patient is conscious, the doctor first to familiarize himself with
his complaints. However, to establish a precise diagnosis of the
symptoms, additional analyzes and investigations were carried out:

 blood;
 neurological examination, during which the doctor observes the
presence of unconditioned reflexes, analyzes the mental state and
behavior of the patient;
 fundus study also gives the result, especially evident in the area
of optic nerve inflammation;
 MRI or CT scan helps determine the size, edema distribution and
location and, therefore, assess the patient's risk to his or her life;
 sometimes perform spinal puncture, especially in cases of
suspected infection;
 Cerebral angiography - a necessary procedure, to determine the
presence of blood clots and other violations.

Brain edema: treatment

In fact, treatment depends largely on the cause and severity of the

condition. For example, if brain inflammation caused by a bacterial
infection, then antibiotics will be used. However, the therapy includes
some mandatory procedures:

 if the basic functions of the nervous system are violated,

including breathing processes and heart rate, then using special
 equipment necessary to maintain the patient's normal life
processes;
 considered very effective cooling of the brain;
 Patients also injected glucose and sodium chloride;
 swelling use diuretics that quickly remove excess fluid from the
body, while reducing edema;
 and sometimes hormones are used, especially if you want to
reduce the permeability of blood vessels to prevent further
development of edema;
 In severe cases, doctors perform craniotomy.

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Cerebral edema: Causes and
Consequences.
04 April, 2016

Swelling of the brain, causes and consequences of the emergency of which we will examine in this
article - is a reaction to excessive load, injuries and infections. Typically, this process occurs quickly
enough. Therefore the own and space among them is filled with excess fluid, and the brain as a
result of increases in volume, which, in turn, causes an increase in intracranial pressure,
deterioration of cerebral circulation and leads to the death of cells.

This condition, as you know, requires mandatory and emergency care to avoid serious
consequences or death.

cause of edema
Causes of inflammation of the brain can be different, and are covered, for example, in violation of
cerebral circulation, expressed ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, in traumatic brain injury, in the
presence of intracranial cancer or metastasis of tumors in any place.

inflammatory processes in the brain or

membrane (meningitis or encephalitis), fractures of the cranial vault with damage to the
substance of the brain, as well as common diseases in the form of serious infections,
cardiovascular disorders or severe burns can also cause inflammation of the brain.
In addition, triggering the development of this disease can even be a severe allergic reaction in the
process of anaphylactic shock, or drug and alcohol poisoning.

What is the main danger

edema Swelling of any tissue of the human body - is quite common and is a natural phenomenon,
which usually takes place without any consequences. But the brain is in a confined space with the
dense skull, which cannot increase its volume under pressure of its tissues.
Whatever the cause causes cerebral edema, which ultimately leads to the fact that there is a
compression of its material in a narrow space. This fact carries the greatest danger: neuronal
ischemia is aggravated, increased progression of edema, and at some point lost brain function.

inflammation of the brain in stroke: what

he called
One of the common causes of swelling of such a patient is transferred to them hemorrhagic or
ischemic stroke. Unfortunately, these types of circulatory disorders are almost always accompanied
by the described problem, expressed in varying degrees, and is a kind of indicator of the severity of
the pathological process. Stroke

Ischemic is caused by obstruction of blood flow to particular areas of the brain as a result of blockage
of blood vessels for one reason or another leading to a lack of oxygen, cell death and, as a
consequence, swelling of the brain.

A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when bleeding under the shell of the brain becomes the impetus for the
rapid increase in intracranial pressure and therefore causes inflammation of the brain. The reasons
for this type of stroke are usually identical - pressure high blood pressure, stress, physical exertion
that causes blood vessels in the brain to rupture or blood to leak through its walls.

How does edema develop in stroke?

First swelling caused by metabolism (metabolism) in the affected area. In medicine, this
phenomenon is called cytotoxic cerebral edema, and is located mainly in the gray matter. After six
hours, this pathology is joined by vasogenic edema, located in the white matter of the brain. It is
caused by the so-called process propotevanie fluid and proteins from small blood vessels into the
extracellular space by a slowdown of blood flow or stasis (arrest).

simultaneously with such development of cerebral edema and necrosis, which leads to the
accumulation in the intercellular space of osmotically active substances, which cause even greater
production of fluid from the capillary.

Inflammation of the brain in stroke develops very quickly and spontaneously, although it can be
located in the lesion (local inflammation) in one hemisphere (diffuse swelling) in both hemispheres
(generalized edema). It is important to take into account its symptoms, and the time to take
measures, although, of course, in stroke to determine the development of edema is difficult, since the
patient is usually in cloudy consciousness or coma.

signs of brain edema

No matter what causes the classified cause of inflammation of the brain, its symptoms cannot be
considered specific and, therefore, to determine the presence of a dangerous disease in the patient,
focusing only on them is difficult.

In medicine, they are divided into three main groups: symptoms

  associated with increased intracranial pressure; Signs
 of focal disorders;Signs
 they derive pathology.

Typically, cerebral edema (the causes, consequences of which we are considering) is accompanied
by severe headache, nausea and retching - these symptoms can be attributed to signs of intracranial
hypertension.Disorders

Speech, vision, hearing and touch, problems with orientation in space, as well as paresis and
paralysis - are signs of focal anomalies.

cerebral edema, patients often complain of shortness of breath, disturbed breathing, the
development of a feeling of drowsiness, anxiety, increased blood pressure, dizziness develops,
sometimes accompanied by seizures - all signs of cerebral edema brain stem requiring urgent
resuscitation.

Causes of cerebral edema in newborns

We must consider this pathology has just been born children.It causes swelling of the brain that
causes often found in their mother's grave during labor and birth trauma baby.But it can cause birth
defects or acquired diseases.Abscesses, tumors, meningitis, encephalitis, intrauterine hypoxia - all of
which can cause inflammation of the brain in babies.

By the way, during the described pathology in children it is somewhat different than in adults,
because their bodies are still very limited possibility of maintaining the regulation of the vascular tone
of the intracranial pressure and the dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid.The only salvation for the
child in a Such a situation is especially the connection of the bones of the skull, between which is
either soft cartilage, or gap (fontanels). By the way, this anatomical feature protects the baby from
compression and swelling of the brain, which could reach at any cry crumbs.

Characteristics symptoms of cerebral

edema in babies
Inflammation of the brain in newborns differs fulminant. At the beginning of the pathology the baby
usually becomes sluggish, drowsiness, which may appear convulsions, disconnection of
consciousness. Some children, on the contrary, cause inflammation of the excited state, which is
reflects a constant non-stop crying.

SPRING swells even at rest, the volume of the head increases, the baby appears vomiting, fever.

In newborns with cerebral edema, a characteristic feature of this disease is a very rapid deterioration
of the general condition and, unfortunately, in many cases it ends in death.

Brain inflammation: implications

The sooner a patient with this diagnosis will be provided with fully qualified medical assistance, the
higher his chances of recovery. But recovery is often only partial - it all depends on the severity of the
pathological process.

A consequence is sometimes, for example, the development of epilepsy caused by a violation of the
blood supply to certain areas of the brain. The patient may increase intracranial pressure, which in
turn leads to constant headaches, dizziness, delirium, and even a reduction in social communication
skills.

Many patients with a diagnosis of "inflammation of the brain" to the consequences of the pathology
observed in the adhesions in their ventricles between the shells, or spaces of cerebrospinal fluid,
which leads not only to occasional headaches, but also to a state depression and disorders of
nervous and mental activity.

If the swelling has expanded, it may be the result of brain damage and decreased mental ability.

How do the effects of cerebral edema

manifest in children?
Consequences of reporting illness in children can also be serious, depending on the severity of the
illness.

These include the development of cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, epilepsy, as well as violations
of the formation of internal organs.Edema

brain in some children can cause problems with speech, as well as coordination of movements.
Moved pathology, unfortunately causes some patients neuro-psychological instability and mental
retardation.

From the above it is clear that inflammation of the brain in children is a very serious pathology that
requires continuous monitoring by a child neurologist and pediatrician, and its duration depends on
the severity of the consequences of this disease.