Symptom: Brain swelling

Introduction: Brain swelling

Brain swelling: Swelling or enlargement of the brain. See free access online books about Brain swelling below. See detailed information below for a list of 209 causes of Brain swelling, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Brain swelling: full list

Causes of Brain swelling

• Aase Smith syndrome - hydrocephaly
• Acutane embryopathy - hydrocephalus
• Acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis - brain swelling
• Acute liver failure - brain swelling
• Acute vitamin A toxicity - increased intracranial pressure

See all 209 causes of Brain swelling

Causes of Types of Brain swelling:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Brain swelling:

• Hydrocephalus (153 causes)
• Increased intracranial pressure (59 causes)
• Hydrocephaly (55 causes)

More types of Brain swelling

Brain swelling: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Brain swelling, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Brain swelling: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Brain swelling and Brain symptoms (195 causes)
• Brain swelling and Swelling symptoms (195 causes)
• Brain swelling and Swollen head (195 causes)
• Brain swelling and Head symptoms (163 causes)
• Brain swelling and Hydrocephalus (125 causes)
• Brain swelling and Behavioral symptoms (118 causes)
• Brain swelling and Eye symptoms (112 causes)
• Brain swelling and Personality symptoms (106 causes)
• Brain swelling and Muscle symptoms (102 causes)
• Brain swelling and Movement symptoms (100 causes)
• Brain swelling and Mental problems (95 causes)
• Brain swelling and Nerve symptoms (92 causes)
• Brain swelling and Face symptoms (82 causes)
• Brain swelling and Sensations (81 causes)
• Brain swelling and Seizures (79 causes)
• Brain swelling and Vision changes (78 causes)
• Brain swelling and Visual problems (78 causes)
• Brain swelling and Spasms (77 causes)
• Brain swelling and Infant symptoms (75 causes)
• Brain swelling and Muscle weakness (74 causes)

See full list of 805 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Brain swelling

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Swelling symptoms (2077 causes)
• Swollen head (415 causes)
• Brain symptoms (727 causes)
• Head symptoms (3858 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Brain swelling

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Brain swelling:

• Brain injury
• Head injury (3 causes)
• Brain symptoms (727 causes)
• Bleeding in the brain (23 causes)
• Brain swelling (209 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Brain swelling

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Brain swelling from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Brain swelling. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Brain swelling

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Brain swelling

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially misdiagnosed as a "nervous...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease, it can also occur...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition goes by the name of " mild traumatic...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), for which the symptoms are typically mild. The...read more »

Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed. It may be misdiagnosed as ...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Brain swelling

Diagnostic tests for Brain swelling:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Brain swelling. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination
  • Note increase in head circumference measurements out of proportion to other body dimensions or a single head circumference measurement which greatly exceeds the 97th percentile
  • Note large and bulging fontanelle; thinning of the bones of the skull; widening of the sutures; thin, shiny pale scalp; sparse hair; distended superficial scalp veins
  • Neurological examination including looking for papilledema
  • Evaluate the mental status

See full list of 11 diagnostic tests for Brain swelling

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Brain swelling. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• When did the brain swelling (hydrocephalus) first become evident? If at birth or at a few months of age must consider congenital malformation (e.g. Arnold-Chiari malformation, Dandy-Walker Syndrome, Congenital stenosis of the Aqueduct of Sylvius). If in an older and previously normal child, must consider a posterior fossa brain tumor e.g. medulloblastoma, astrocytoma and ependymoma
• What was the rapidity of onset of brain swelling?
• What was the rate of progression of brain swelling?
• What is the developmental progress in the baby or child?
• Is there a history of head injury? - must consider possibility of subdural haematoma as cause of brain swelling.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Brain swelling (15 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Brain swelling) may include:

• Are there symptoms of brain swelling? - e.g. In a baby is there failure to thrive in baby, delayed developmental gains, poor head control in baby, poor feeding, or irritability?. In older children are there changes in behavior, a clumsy gait, abnormal speech, tremor and poor co-ordination?. In adults there may be headache, vomiting, blurry vision and poor co-ordination in movement.
• Vomiting excessively? - may suggest brain swelling has occurred and progressed more rapidly.
• Neurological symptoms? - e.g. poor co-ordination of movement, tremor, seizures.
• Symptoms of meningitis or encephalitis? - may suggest cause of brain swelling.
• Symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus? - usually in elderly and include dementia, urinary incontinence and apraxia (poor ability to perform voluntary movements).

See Diagnosis Checklist for Brain swelling (15 listings)

Stories from Users for Brain swelling

Real-life user stories relating to Brain swelling:

• Signs of swelling , advice Please
• swollen & desperate
• What were you told about swelling?
• Swollen and lightheaded
• abnominal swelling
• swollen bump on hard palate
• hot inside/yet freezing
• swelling
• lump and swelling on inside of elbow
• what is this swelling?
• Strange Swelling
• Irritation on Base of Penis Head - HELP - It's hurt for almost a year!!
• swelling
• Swollen & Bloated
• Swollen sternum
• swollen forearm
• Swelling
• Swollen and bruised calves
• Swollen knuckle
• swollen knuckles

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Brain swelling or relevant symptoms:

• Constitutional (General Wellbeing) (156)
  • Sore Scalp/hair follicles
  • Fat loss in entire body
  • Dont know how much more I can take..
  • I'm Lost.
  • My wife does not sweat I'm worried
  • More user stories
• Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Circulation) (171)
  • Chest pain and shortness of breath
  • Hand numbness
  • Purple-blue skin color
  • Need help with diagnoses
  • Anxiety and high BP
  • More user stories
• Neurological (Nerves) (357)
  • Could this be MS?
  • Numbness and tingling all over
  • Tingling/numbness in arms/hands/legs/face/head [more symptoms]
  • Eye twitch
  • Essential tremor
  • More user stories
• Endocrine (Growth and Metabolism) (93)
  • Symptoms of Cushing's - Tests all negative
  • Has anyone been diagnosed with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome and are being treated??
  • Pitutary tumor
  • I am at my wits end with these symptoms
  • I think I have Cushings, can you help?
  • More user stories
• Hematologic/Lymphatic (Blood and Lymph) (106)
  • High platelet count
  • Extreme neck pain, swollen lymph node -help
  • Swollen lymph nodes in groin
  • Nipple Discharge
  • Swollen Lymph Node for 2 1/2 months
  • More user stories

Videos for Brain swelling

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Definitions of Brain swelling:

Brain swelling: a pathologic entity, localized or generalized, characterized by an increase in bulk of brain tissue, due to expansion of the intravascular (congestion) or extravascular (edema) compartments that may coexist or may occur separately and be clinically indistinguishable; clinical manifestations depend on disturbed neuronal function due to local swelling, shifting of intracranial structures, and the effects of intracranial hypertension or circulatory disturbance.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Organs affected by Brain swelling:

The list of organs typically affected by Brain swelling may include, but is not limited to:

• Brain

Detailed list of causes of Brain swelling

The list below shows some of the causes of Brain swelling mentioned in various sources:

• Aase Smith syndrome - hydrocephaly
• Acutane embryopathy - hydrocephalus
• Acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis - brain swelling
• Acute liver failure - brain swelling
• Acute vitamin A toxicity - increased intracranial pressure

See full list of 209 causes of Brain swelling

How Common are these Causes of Brain swelling?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Brain swelling. Of the 209 causes of Brain swelling that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 0 causes are "very common" diseases
• 0 causes are "common" diseases
• 0 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 5 causes are "rare" diseases
• 7 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 201 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 209 causes of Brain swelling

Conditions listing symptoms: Brain swelling:

The following list of conditions have 'Brain swelling' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Causes of Brain swelling Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Brain swelling based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: