The manifestations of brain tumors is mainly due to tumor compression of certain parts of the brain. In this case, symptoms depend on what part of the brain is exposed to compression. As soon as the disease progresses, the so-called cerebral symptoms, caused by the poor circulation in the brain and intracranial hypertension - increased intracranial pressure.
Focal symptoms of brain tumors
The manifestations of focal symptoms depend largely on the location of the tumor. That is, if the tumor compresses the part of the brain responsible for speech, then the patient will be celebrated speech disorder. The same applies to the compression of the other major centers (vision, hearing, etc.).
Violation of sensitivity. It is noted decreased ability to perceive the stimuli of the skin. This leads to the fact that the patient can not feel heat, touch or pain. In addition, the patient may lose the ability to determine the position of the body or its parts in space.
Movement disorders. These disorders include paralysis and paresis. Paralysis - a complete violation of the motor activity of a particular organ or whole body. Paresis - a partial violation of the motor activity. In this paresis and paralysis may be different, as the cover one or two limbs or the entire body. Paralysis and paresis may be both central and peripheral. In certain tumor compression of the brain there is a central paralysis / paresis. When the signals from the brain do not enter the spinal cord, and thence to the muscles, and therefore "control" them is lost. At the same impulses from the spinal cord "holds" muscles toned. If you have a tumor in the spinal cord impulses from it do not come to the muscles, their tone is lost. This so-called flaccid paralysis.
Epileptic seizures. In this patient having seizures. They relate mainly to the fact that the tumor becomes resistant seat of irritation in the cerebral cortex.
Hearing impaired and speech recognition. In that case, if the tumor affects the auditory nerve, the patient loses the ability to hear. And in the case of tumor lesion area of the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for speech recognition, the patient will hear the sounds, but they will turn to him in a meaningless noise.
Blurred vision, pattern recognition and text objects. If the tumor is located in the optic nerve or the so-called quadrigemina, the patient begins partial or complete loss of vision, since the tumor does not allow for a signal from the retina to the cerebral cortex. If there is a lesion of the cerebral cortex, responsible for the image analysis can be a variety of disorders, from inability to understand the incoming signal to the inability to understand written language, or learning moving objects.
Violation of speech and writing. In the case of destruction of the brain that is responsible for written and spoken language, there comes a complete or partial loss of them. This process usually occurs gradually and becomes more pronounced with the growth of tumors. At first the patient's speech becomes slurred, the handwriting may change. Soon after the changes become so severe that the patient's speech or his handwriting does not understand.
Autonomic dysfunction. This type of focal disorders include weakness and fatigue. The patient can not stand up quickly, it appears dizziness, marked fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure. These manifestations are associated with the violation of the autonomic regulation of vascular tone.
Hormonal disorders. With the defeat of the tumor pituitary or hypothalamus - part of the CNS, which are synthesized hormones that regulate the activity of all the other endocrine glands, there may be a violation of the hormonal levels.
Loss of coordination. The defeat of the tumor of the cerebellum and midbrain is accompanied by loss of coordination, changes in gait. A characteristic feature in this case is the so-called Romberg test, the patient can not perform without the control of precise movements, for example, misses the mark when trying to touch your eyes closed tip of the nose with his finger, unsteadiness when standing with eyes closed and arms outstretched.
Psychomotor disturbances. With the defeat of a tumor of the brain responsible for memory, there is a violation of her, and suffers from attention. The patient becomes distracted, irritable, he may change the character.
Cerebral symptoms
Cerebral symptoms manifest as symptoms that are associated with increased intracranial pressure or compression of the main structures of the brain.
These are nonspecific symptoms that are characteristic of many other diseases.
The main symptom of this is a headache. For brain tumors characterized by the fact that the pain is constant and very strong, as it is not related to muscle tension or contraction of blood vessels of the skull, as in the usual headaches, but with the increasing pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid in the cavity of the skull and the brain. It is also characteristic, and that sometimes even the powerful painkillers do not eliminate the pain, but the reduction in intracranial pressure can bring help.
Vomiting. This symptom is also associated with increased intracranial pressure. For vomiting in tumors of the brain characterized by the fact that it does not bring relief (as happens in vomiting associated with diseases of the stomach). The cause of vomiting in tumors of the brain is usually the pressure on the vomiting center in the midbrain. Nausea and vomiting are usually worried sick all the time, and with changes in intracranial pressure triggered the gag reflex. In addition, a patient can not eat, drink water sometimes because of the high intensity of vomiting.
Vertigo - another symptom that is characteristic of brain tumors. It is associated with compression of the structures of the cerebellum. It is noted disruption of the vestibular apparatus. There is a central type vertigo, horizontal nystagmus (jerking of the eyeballs in the direction), except that he had the feeling that, while remaining motionless, he turns and moves in one direction or another.
Finally, another symptom of brain tumor is a weakness and fatigue. They are related to circulatory disturbance of the brain, namely the violation of the outflow of blood or lack of it becomes available to the brain.
