Signs And Symptoms Of Cerebral Edema

Edema is another term for swelling. When your body receives some form of injury, a typical reaction for your body to have is to swell. However, it's possible for your brain to swell as well, which is something known as cerebral edema. This can occur due to an injury to the brain or illness, though it may also occur for unknown reasons. Because the brain is located in the thick skull, it doesn't have much space to swell, so if your brain starts to swell, the situation could become dangerous, and potentially even lethal. As such, if you believe you or someone you know, may be suffering from cerebral edema, contact a local hospital. Here are some symptoms to watch for.

Headache

One of the first signs of cerebral edema is a headache. It may occur anywhere within your head and is due to the increasing pressure occurring inside your skull. As the swelling develops, the ache will likely become worse. A headache may also bring additional symptoms like light sensitivity or noise sensitivity, and in some cases, you may have difficulty sleeping, or you may feel fatigued. If the ache persists, even after taking pain relief medication, consider seeing your doctor. You will also want to ensure your headache isn't a migraine. Typically, migraines also have additional symptoms of throbbing pain, nausea, blurred vision, paleness, dizziness, and other signs. Your headache may develop into a migraine if you have edema, however, so if you notice this form of pain along with the other following symptoms, call an ambulance or have someone take you to the hospital. Due to the severity of other symptoms, you should not drive yourself if it's possible to avoid it.

Continue to reveal the next most common symptom of cerebral edema.