Know About Brain Abscess

A brain abscess is a collection of pus within the brain tissue caused by bacterial or fungal infection. A brain abscess can develop as a complication of trauma, surgery or an infection. These are rare, although people with weakened immune systems (such as people with HIV or those who have received organ transplants) are more likely to suffer from brain abscess. This infection usually starts and spreads from a middle ear infection, sinus infection or as a dental abscess. The blood carries the infection from somewhere in the body to the brain. The infectious organisms enter the brain from a penetrating injury.

The penetrating injury can be anything such as gunshot wound or neurosurgical intervention or facial trauma. So, how to know its symptoms? Symptoms vary depending on the type and location of the abscesses. Over seventy five percent of people with brain abscess suffer from headaches. This is the only symptom in a lot of people. The pain is usually located on the side of the brain where the abscess is caused and the pain usually worsens until the abscess is cured. Aspirin and other medicines do not relieve pain. About half of people with brain abscess have a fever.

Other symptoms of brain abscess may include a feeling of nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, seizures and personality changes and muscle weakness on one side of the body. Diagnosing a brain abscess is not so easy because the first symptoms are general in nature. For example, the headache may be caused by various reasons. Because of this, the diagnosis of brain abscess does not appear until weeks after they first develop symptoms. In a few cases, people with brain abscesses build up neurological changes or seizures such as weakness of the muscles on one side of the body before the disease is diagnosed.

If your doctor is concerned about your brain abscess, he will ask about your medical history and travel history to determine your risk for certain diseases. The doctor will also ask if you have any symptoms of brain abscess. If yes, he will ask when they started, how it progressed and if you have had a recent infection or any treatment that predisposes the formation of brain abscess. To diagnose a brain abscess, you will need a diagnostic test such as a computerized tomography CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The abscess will appear as one or two spots. 

The doctor can analyze the blood and other fluids as well to find out the original source of the infection. If the diagnosis remains in doubt, a neurosurgeon can remove a portion of the brain abscess with a thin needle. Regarding the duration of a brain abscess, it can grow very quickly and typically formed completely within two weeks. Your doctor will start the treatment immediately after you have the diagnosis. Prompt medical attention is the key to relieving the symptoms more quickly to reduce any damage to your long term health. Surgical drainage of abscesses also often becomes necessary.

So what are the preventive measures available for brain abscess? Some abscesses are associated with the person’s poor dental hygiene or infection of the sinuses complex. Therefore you should floss daily, brush your teeth properly and also visit your dentist on a regular basis. You can take care of sinus infections with decongestants. If the infection does not clear soon, ask your doctor whether antibiotics can help.  In case your immune system is weakened by HIV, you will probably develop a brain abscess due to a lot of reasons. So it is better to be cautious and avoid getting HIV.

Treatment of brain abscess typically requires a clear focus. The infection can be treated with antibiotics. If the specific type of bacteria is known, a specific antibiotic is used. Otherwise, broad spectrum antibiotics are prescribed to kill a large number of possible infectious agents. Antibiotics should be taken for at least six to eight weeks to make sure the infection is eliminated. Abscesses can be drained or removed, if it can be reached easily and there is little risk of brain damage. The abscess can also be removed surgically. In other cases, the abscess is drained by cutting or inserting a needle.

To ensure success in treatment, the patient will be monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) to visualize the brain and abscess. If you have problems with seizures, anticonvulsants may be needed, which may continue even until after the abscess is removed fully and successfully. Incidentally, you should also know when to call or see a doctor. See the doctor if you experience a regular headache that gets worse over the days and weeks. In case you also suffer from muscle weakness, personality changes, seizures, vomiting or nausea request medical attention immediately.

Will there be any problem if the brain abscess is not detected and cured in time? If left untreated, an abscess could be fatal. Most patients with brain abscess are treated immediately. Unfortunately, neurological problems are common even long after they removed the abscess and the infection is treated. As an example, there can be persistent problems related to the functioning of the body, seizures or personality changes due to damage to the brain or scarring.