Cerebral edema or swelling of the brain - Cerebral Edema is an increase in pressure inside the head, which can cause a rupture of the blood cerebral septum.
Information on cerebral edema disease
Cerebral edema is the body's way of responding to a stroke, stroke, or infection. And because the brain is housed within a rigid and sealed skull, the build-up of pressure inside the skull can prevent the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. It blocks fluids from leaving the brain and damages or kills brain cells. A person with cerebral edema may experience uncomfortable symptoms such as headache, nausea, memory loss or loss of consciousness.
Cerebral edema is a life-threatening condition that can cause permanent brain damage or brain death if not treated promptly.
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Causes of cerebral edema disease
Head trauma, infection, and a number of neurological conditions can cause brain swelling (cerebral edema). As pressure increases, brain tissue becomes compressed. The most common causes of brain swelling (cerebral edema) include:
◘ Traumatic brain injury
A TBI is a blow that can cause bleeding, bruising, or swelling in the brain.
Common causes of traumatic injuries include falls, car and sports accidents, domestic violence or combat injuries. The increased pressure inside the skull causes swelling in the brain.
◘ Infection
Some different types of infection may cause swelling of the brain. These types include encephalitis and meningitis. Encephalitis is usually caused by a viral infection and can cause headache, fever, loss of consciousness, seizures and other symptoms.
Meningitis is caused by an infection in the meninges, which are the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. And the causes usually include: viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections.
◘ Tumors
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in the brain or inside the skull. The tumor may compress brain tissue or block cerebrospinal fluid in it, which increases pressure and causes cerebral edema.
◘ brain attack
Strokes are 80% of them are ischemic strokes. That is, they are caused by an obstruction that prevents blood flow in the brain, which in turn prevents oxygenated blood from reaching the brain cells. The damaged brain cells usually swell and prevent the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid from the brain, causing more and more pressure to rise. .
◘ Cerebral hemorrhage
Intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding within or around the brain, or hemorrhagic stroke, which involves the death of brain cells as a result of a rupture of a blood vessel inside the brain.
◘ The heights
Altitude cerebral edema may develop about two days after climbing to over 4000 meters. This condition is known as altitude cerebral edema. This type of brain swelling occurs along with altitude sickness, seizures (which is a loss of control over body movements), fatigue and altered mental status.
Edema - whatever its cause - may develop into a tumor, or cause death within 24 hours if not treated.
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Symptoms of cerebral edema disease
Symptoms of cerebral edema vary widely and may be excruciatingly painful. The patient's age, brain size, and location of swelling may also affect the severity of the symptoms.
The most common signs of cerebral edema include:
Headache, the most common symptom that begins when the brain begins to swell.
Dizziness
Nausea
Mood changes, such as depression, anxiety or aggressive behavior, as a result of brain damage.
Memory lost.
Changes in consciousness.
spasm.
Intoxication.
Lack of coordination.
A blockage in the intestine.
Numbness and weakness, which may be general or specific. If the swelling is due to a tumor, and in the left side of the brain, the patient may feel weakness on the right side of his body.
Double vision due to the cloudiness of the ability to move one of the eyes in a specific direction.
Diagnosis of cerebral edema
When there is a person suffering from a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or severe brain damage, cerebral edema is always associated with the injury. The patient is sent directly to the intensive care unit, and then a neurological and physical examination is performed.
The clinical neurological examination tests brain function and level of consciousness to detect damage to the brain. A slight change in the level of consciousness may indicate brain damage. Symptoms we look for include increased pressure inside the head, drowsiness and vision problems.
Health care providers may also investigate:
Mental activity: the ability to focus, perceive, and remember information.
Motor functions: the ability to coordinate and implement movements.
Sensory functions: pain level, sense of touch, sight and hearing.
Vital signs and breathing movements
Mydriasis: How the pupil responds to light.
When a patient with a traumatic brain injury is hospitalized, he is given a computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Magnetic resonance imaging is often used, as it provides better information about brain swelling and provides a picture of the type of neurological problem, whether it is a stroke, hemorrhage or a tumor.
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Cerebral edema disease treatment
People who experience cerebral edema should be closely monitored during the first 48 to 72 hours after injury or infection, as the speed with which the patient receives treatment affects recovery and the rate of improvement.
Once the problem is identified, patients will be monitored in the hospital for the complications of the edema, and then the neurological problem causing the edema will be treated. Treatment is determined by the type of nerve damage.
If the cause is cytotoxicity, doctors will seek to treat the priority situation with strong drugs.
For example, infusion of interferons intravenously with a hypertonic saline solution, interferons prevent the reproduction of viruses, while the hypertonic solution increases the proportion of blood electrolytes, drawing water out of the brain (as the water moves in the body towards the higher pressure, which becomes in the blood due to the increase of electrolytes).
Likewise for a cerebral hemorrhage or a traumatic injury. It doesn't have to be treated first of all, as it is the least cause of concern. However, in critical cases, surgeons open the skull and extract part of the bone to reduce brain swelling.
If a patient presents with symptoms of acute stroke, the first priority is to restore blood flow to the brain.
Once the cerebral edema is diagnosed with an examination, the doctor may use to relieve pressure:
Keeping the patient’s bed elevated at 30 or 45 degrees. When the head is lying down, the pressure in the brain may increase, and for this it is better to keep it high.
Maintaining a normal body temperature using antipyretics.
Provide a quiet environment with low light to avoid triggers.
Monitor fluid and electrolyte levels.
Giving anticonvulsants to prevent seizures.
Putting pain relievers to increase patient comfort.
Draining the cerebrospinal fluid by inserting a catheter into the ventricle (ventricle).
Secure treatment of hyperosmosis
In severe cases, the doctor may consider an opening of the skull necessary to relieve pressure.
Left untreated, cerebral edema can lead to permanent brain damage or cause broad-spectrum complications.
Such as vision loss, headache, or cerebral atrophy, cognitive decline as well as altered mental state, in addition to depression, sleep problems, epilepsy, or even cerebral death.
Medicinal therapies used to treat cerebral edema
As for the basic treatment for cerebral edema, it is mostly drugs such as:
Dexamethasone (Decadron)
Mannitol (Aridol, Osmitrol)
Acetazolamide
Furosemide (Lasix)
Diuretics
Corticosteroids (cortisone and hydrocortisone)
Alternative interventions or alternative drugs may be offered in special cases such as stroke, diabetic ketoacidosis or metabolic diseases.
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Methods for preventing cerebral edema disease
Avoiding cerebral edema requires taking some measures to protect the head.
Some options that may be considered include:
Use a helmet during sports or physical activities to avoid unexpected brain injuries.
Control of blood pressure and cholesterol level to avoid heart disease and stroke.
Putting on the seat belt when traveling in the car.
Ascending slowly to heights to avoid edema caused by heights.
Avoid smoking to reduce oxidative stress and the risk of inflammation and clots.
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In general, the possibility of a cerebral edema is not what brings people to the hospital, but rather it is due to a stroke, traumatic injury or infection.
Edema is not a disease in and of itself, but rather a disease that appears as a consequence of a disease or other damage that has afflicted the brain.
