Brain tumor: symptoms, treatment & cure in India
The brain controls the entire the functioning of the body. It is a soft, spongy mass made up of a large number of tissues. The bones & the different layers of the tissues play a vital role in protecting the brain. The cerebrospinal fluid that flows between the spaces of the meninges & the ventricles, also contributes in protecting the brain. The brain controls the voluntary & the involuntary muscles which help us to perform various tasks such as walking, talking, etc (voluntary) and breathing, response to stimuli etc (involuntary) actions. The brain also controls the sense organs, memory systems, physical & mental emotions and an individual’s personality.
The 3 main parts of the brain that control various activities are:- Cerebrum: this part of the brain processes the information from all the sense organs which help us in understanding the surrounding and also enables us to respond accordingly. It controls activities like reading, thinking, talking, emotions, & learning. The cerebrum is divided into 2 cerebral hemispheres: the left & the right hemisphere. The left cerebral hemisphere controls the muscles on the right side of the body & the right cerebral hemisphere controls the muscles on the left side of the body.
- Cerebellum: this part of the body controls various complex actions such as the balance of the body while walking or standing.
- Brain stem: the brain stem is responsible for connecting the brain to the spinal cord. It controls various body functions such as breathing, body temperature, blood pressure, etc.
Any small damage to the brain can alter the entire system of the human body. Have you ever noticed a very common headache has the ability to make you feel very weak & tired? You feel inactive and it often dozes you to sleep. In that case, you can very well imagine how horrible it would be to suffer from a brain tumor. So, this article mainly emphasizes on the types of brain tumor, diagnosis, & treatment procedures.
A primary brain tumor is the one that originates in the brain and is usually not cancerous & do not spread that easily to surrounding tissues. The exact cause of brain tumor is not known till date. There are only a few risk factors that can lead to or increase the chances of causing a brain tumor. Some of which are listed below:
- Exposure to high levels of radiations
- Genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis
- Age is also a risk factor when it comes to this health condition. People between 65 to 80 years of age are at greater risk of brain tumor.
The normal metabolic process of the body is that the normal cells grow old or get damaged with time and gradually die. New cells take up their place and the process continues. What happens at times is that there are chances that this process might go wrong. New cells grow when the body does not require it or the damaged cells may not die as and when they should. This leads to the extra cells being buildup which eventually forms a mass of tissue called the tumor.
Primary brain tumors may be benign or malignant and are never cancerous. These tumors can be easily removed and they usually don’t appear again. The benign tumor cells neither affect the tissues surrounding it nor do they spread to other parts of the body. However, these tumors may turn out to be serious & cause life-threatening situations when they develop on sensitive areas of the brain.
Unlike benign tumors in other parts of the body, benign brain tumors may be malignant which means they might turn out to be cancerous. Malignant brain tumors are otherwise called as brain cancer. These tumors are more serious and are often a threat to life. They grow rapidly and also affect the nearby healthy cells & tissues.
Doctors have categorized the tumors by grades. The grades are based on how the tumor cells look under a microscope. The tumors are broadly divided into 4 grades.
- Grade 1: In this, the cells look like normal brain cells under a microscope. They grow very slowly and do not affect the surrounding tissues and hence are benign tissues.
- Grade 2: the cells when viewed under a microscope do not look the same like normal brain cells. They grow & multiply rapidly as compared to grade 1 tumor cells. The tissues are malignant in this case.
- Grade 3: in this grade, the malignant cells look very much different from the normal brain cells under a microscope. The abnormal cells grow actively and spread at a faster rate.
- Grade 4: the malignant cells look very abnormal under a microscope and spread more rapidly to the surrounding tissues.
What are the symptoms of a brain tumor?
The symptoms of a brain tumor depend on the size, location & type of brain tumor. The symptoms are not readily noticeable at the initial stages of a brain tumor. The symptoms become noticeable when a tumor presses on a nerve or harms a part of the brain. The symptoms may also develop when the tumor blocks the pathway of the fluid that flows around the brain or when the brain is likely to swell when the fluid starts building up.
Those listed below are some of the common symptoms of brain tumor:
- Frequent headaches which get worse in the mornings
- Sudden noticeable changes in speech, vision & hearing
- Vomiting & Nausea
- Problems in balancing the body or walking
- Frequent mood swings
- Abnormal changes in personality
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Problems in memory
- Numbness in the legs & arms
- Frequent muscle seizures or muscle pulls
- Weakness in one part of the body
The above symptoms are quite common to a number of other health conditions. Don’t assume that you are suffering from a brain tumor just because you experience one of the above symptoms. It is always better to check with your Consult Doctor Online with chat Free and get to better suggestion.