Introduction
The brain is a complex organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body. Together, the brain and spinal cord that extends from it make up the central nervous system,.Brain is one of the crucial organs of the human body.It controls cognitive, psychological, social and biological factors.
There are nine most common complications of human brain.
(1) Intelligence development disorder
(2) Autism
(3) Epilepsy
(4) Cerebral palsy
(5) Dementia
(6) Cerebral vascular disease
(7) Recurrent headache
(8) Parkinson disease
(9) Multiple Sclerosis
Other complications includes Meningitis, brain tumors and traumatic injuries.
Let us briefly study each of these common complications.
The most common complications of the brain:
(1) Intellectual development disorder:
Intellectual development disorder is a neuro developmental disorder that causes problems with intellectual tasks. Children with intellectual development disorder have trouble with things like learning, communicating, thinking rationally, making judgments, and planning.
Intellectual disability involves problems with general mental abilities that affect functioning in two areas: (i)Intellectual functioning such as learning, problem solving, judgement. (ii)Adaptive functioning activities of daily life such as communication and independent living.
The main symptom is difficulty thinking and understanding. Life skills that can be impacted upon include certain conceptual, social and practical skills.
For many children, the cause of their intellectual disability is not known. Some of the most common known causes of intellectual disability like Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X- syndrome, genetic conditions, birth defects, and infections – happen before birth.
There are three major criteria for intellectual disability:
(i) significant limitations in intellectual functioning,
(ii) significant limitations in adaptive behavior, and
(iii) onset before the age of 18 years.
(2)Autism:
There is no known single cause for autism spectrum disorder(ASD), but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Braint scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control(CDC), autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children(1:44) in the United States today.
Signs of autism in children:
•not responding to their name.
•avoiding eye contact.
•not smiling when you smile at them.
•getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound.
•repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body.
The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often appear early in development. Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months(one year) to 18 months(one and half year) of age or earlier.
Autism is a neurological developmental disability with an estimated prevalence of one to two percent (1-2%) of the American and worldwide population. The diversity of the disability means that each person's individual experience of autism and needs for supports and services can vary widely.
(3) Epilepsy:
It is disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.It is also called seizure disease.
Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or an acquired brain injury, such as a trauma or stroke.
Epilepsy Warning Signs:
•Temporary confusion—often described as a “fuzzy” feeling.
•A staring spell.
•Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs.
•Loss of consciousness or awareness.
•Psychic symptoms out-of-body feelings or not feeling “in the moment”
•Memory lapses.
Most people with epilepsy live a full life. However, the risk of early death is higher for some. We know that the best possible seizure control and living safely can reduce the risk of epilepsy-related death.
A person with epilepsy should not be left alone.
Living independently with epilepsy is not without risk. These risks include a higher risk of accidents and premature death. Epilepsy has a considerable impact and significant social consequences. It can sometimes prevent someone from living alone or continuing to live independently.
Researchers estimate that, for every 1,000 people with epilepsy, at least 1 person (1:1000) may die from SUDEP each year. This means that each year in the United States, there are about 3,000 deaths due to SUDE.(Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). Although SUDEP is rare, but traumatic for families.
Behaviours of a person with epilepsy :
Those most often seen in children with epilepsy are sleep disturbances, fatigue or listlessness, lack of enthusiasm, and frequent emotional outbursts. Other behavioral issues, such as anxiety, agitation, frustration, or impulsive behaviors, often accompany depression.
(4) Cerebral Palsy(CP):
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture. It's caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth. Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years.
It is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture.
Cerebral palsy is due to abnormal brain development, often before birth.Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture. It's caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth. Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years.
Stroke is the most common cause in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after one month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.
Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. It's caused by a problem with the brain that develops before or during soon after birth.
Symptoms of cerebral palsy:
The signs of cerebral palsy usually appear in the first few months of life, but many children are not diagnosed until age 2 or later. In general, early signs of cerebral palsy include:
•Developmental delays. The child is slow to reach milestones such as rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking.
•Movement and development problems
•delays in reaching •development milestones – for example, not sitting by 8 months or not walking by 18 months.
•seeming too stiff or too floppy (hypotonia)
•weak arms or legs.
•fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements.
•random, uncontrolled movements.
•muscle spasms.
•shaking hands (tremors)
Infants born preterm (defined as before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and infants who weigh less than 5.5 pounds at birth are at greater risk of cerebral palsy than are early term (defined as 37 weeks to 38 weeks of pregnancy) and full-term (defined as 39 weeks to 40 weeks of pregnancy) infants and those who are heavier at birth.
There's no cure for cerebral palsy. But resources and therapies can help kids grow and develop to their greatest potential. As soon as CP is diagnosed, a child can begin therapy for movement and other areas that need help, such as learning, speech, hearing, and social and emotional development.
(5)Dementia:
Dementia is caused by damage to or changes in the brain. Common causes of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia.
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change.
The seven warning signs of dementia are as follows:
•Memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities.
•Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
•Problems with language. 4: Disorientation to time and place.
• Impaired judgement.
•Problems with abstract thinking.
•Misplacing things.
There is currently no "cure" for dementia. In fact, because dementia is caused by different diseases, it is unlikely that there will be a single cure for dementia. Research is aimed at finding cures for dementia causing diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Dementia is not a disease. It's a decline in the ability to reason, communicate, remember, and function in life. While dementia itself may not cause death, the result of progressive brain disorders eventually cause death.
People with dementia sleep a lot:It is quite common for a person with dementia, especially in the later stages, to spend a lot of their time sleeping both during the day and night. This can sometimes be distressing for the person's family and friends, as they may worry that something is wrong.
Progression of dementia:
The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease worsen over time, although the rate at which the disease progresses varies. On average, a person with Alzheimer's lives four to eight years after diagnosis, but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors.
The final stages of dementia before death:
Signs of the final stages of dementia include some of the following:
•Being unable to move around on one's own.
• Being unable to speak or make oneself understood.
•Eating problems such as difficulty swallowing.
Leafy Green Vegetables is the number one food that fights dementia. Green leafy vegetables are probably the number one food that fights dementia. They have a strong, positive effect on cognitive health.
(6)Cerebrovascular disease:
The term cerebrovascular disease includes all disorders in which an area of the brain is temporarily or permanently affected by ischemia or bleeding and one or more of the cerebral blood vessels are involved in the pathological process.
Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of cerebrovascular disease. This occurs when high cholesterol levels, together with inflammation in the arteries of the brain, cause cholesterol to build up as a thick, waxy plaque that can narrow or block blood flow in the arteries. Cerebrovascular disease refers to a group of conditions that affect blood flow and the blood vessels in the brain. Problems with blood flow may occur from blood vessels narrowing (stenosis), clot formation (thrombosis), artery blockage (embolism), or blood vessel rupture (hemorrhage).
Cerebrovascular disease is a common cause of stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States. A brain stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted.It is a damage to the brain from interruption of its blood supply.A stroke is a medical emergency.
The most common form of cerebrovascular disease is
stroke.The hallmark of a stroke is the permanent loss of sensation or motor function. The two general categories of strokes are (i)hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into the brain) or(ii) ischemic stroke (insufficient blood flow to the brain).
More than 1 million cases are reported per year in India.
There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blockage of blood flow and those caused by bleeding into the brain. A blockage of a blood vessel in the brain or neck, called an ischemic stroke, is the most frequent cause of stroke and is responsible for about 80 percent of strokes.
A stroke is an interruption of the blood supply to any part of the brain. It is also referred to as a brain attack. If blood flow was stopped for longer than a few seconds and the brain cannot get blood and oxygen, brain cells can die, and the abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost.
A massive stroke can be fatal, as it affects large portions of the brain. But for many people experiencing a stroke, recovery is long, but possible.
•Sudden confusion,
• trouble speaking, or •difficulty understanding speech.
•Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
•Sudden trouble walking, •dizziness,
•loss of balance, or
• lack of coordination. •Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Treatment options for cerebrovascular disease include:
(i)Microsurgery for minimally invasive direct operation on the delicate cerebral blood vessels.
(ii) Endovascular neuro- surgery for minimally invasive treatments from within the cerebral blood vessels.
Symptoms of poor blood flow to the brain are as follows:
•slurred speech.
•sudden weakness in the limbs.
•difficulty swallowing.
•loss of balance or feeling unbalanced.
•partial or complete loss of vision or double vision.
•dizziness or a spinning sensation.
•numbness or a tingling feeling.
•confusion.
(7) Recurrent headache: Conditions that might cause non primary chronic daily headaches include:
Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke.
infections, such as meningitis.
Intracranial pressure that's either too high or too low.
Brain tumor.
Traumatic brain injury.
it's not normal to get headaches everyday.
Most people have headaches from time to time. But if you have a headache more days than not, you might have chronic daily headaches, which come in many forms most of them pretty disabling.
•Headaches that get steadily worse.
Changes in personality or mental function.
•Headaches that are accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, decreased alertness or memory, or neurological symptoms such as visual disturbances, slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or seizures.
Treatment of recurrent headache:
Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants such as nortriptyline (Pamelor) can be used to treat chronic headaches.
Beta blockers. These drugs, commonly used to treat high blood pressure, are also a mainstay for preventing episodic migraines.
Anti-seizure medications.
Botulinum toxin etc.
(8) Parkinson disease:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
It is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often including tremors.
Nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Symptoms start slowly. The first symptom may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder may also cause stiffness or slowing of movement.
Here are early symptoms that can raise concern for Parkinson's disease:
•Smaller handwriting. The act of writing becomes slower, letters become smaller and the words crowd together.
•Tremors.
•Muscle stiffness.
•Slowing of movement.
•Stooped posture.
•Lack of facial expression.
•Decreased arm swing.
•Soft or low voice.
Parkinson's disease is not fatal.Although a diagnosis of Parkinson's is devastating, it is not as some people may still believe a death sentence. Parkinson's disease is not a direct killer, like stroke or heart attack.
(9) Multiple sclerosis(MS):
It is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves.In MS, resulting nerve damage disrupts communication between the brain and the body.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. It's considered an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In the case of MS , this immune system malfunction destroys the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord (myelin).
Common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include fatigue, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and mood changes such as depression, muscular changes and visual changes.
Other complications of braiin:
(i)Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling. However, injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections also can cause meningitis.
(ii)Brain tumors:Usually, the first sign of a brain tumor is a headache, generally in conjunction with other symptoms.In some cases, a person may be born with changes in one or more of these genes. Environmental factors, such as exposure to large amounts of radiation from X-rays or previous cancer treatment, may then lead to further damage. In other cases, the environmental injury to the genes may be the only cause.
(iii)Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue.
Information compiled by:
Dr. Bhairavsinh Raol
