What are symptoms of brain tumors?

The symptoms of brain tumors depend on tumor size, type, and location. Symptoms may be caused when a tumor presses on a nerve or damages a certain area of the brain. They also may be caused when the brain swells or fluid builds up within the skull.

Symptoms of a brain tumor can be many things including headaches. Headaches are the most common symptom of those facing this condition. The headache is the result of the pressure being placed on the area of the brain that is infected. The pressure is often placed on nerve endings found here as well as on the brain and the skull wall as well. When headaches change in their pattern, their intensity and come on gradually, then it could be a sign of a brain tumor.

These are the most common symptoms of brain tumors:

• Headaches (usually worse in the morning)
  
  
• Nausea or vomiting
  
  
• Changes in speech, vision, or hearing
  
  
• Problems balancing or walking
  
  
• Changes in mood, personality, or ability to concentrate
  
  
• Problems with memory
  
  
• Muscle jerking or twitching (seizures or convulsions)
  
  
• Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs

These symptoms are not sure signs of a brain tumor. Other conditions also could cause these problems. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible. Only a doctor can diagnose and treat the problem.

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Risk of brain tumor

The following risk factors are associated with an increased chance of developing a primary brain tumor:

• Being male - In general, brain tumors are more common in males than females. However, meningiomas are more common in females.
  
  
• Race - Brain tumors occur more often among white people than among people of other races.
  
  
• Age - Most brain tumors are detected in people who are 70 years old or older. However, brain tumors are the second most common cancer in children. (Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.) Brain tumors are more common in children younger than 8 years old than in older children.
  
  
• Family history - People with family members who have gliomas may be more likely to develop this disease.
  
  
• Being exposed to radiation or certain chemicals at work:
  
  • Radiation - Workers in the nuclear industry have an increased risk of developing a brain tumor.
    
    
  • Formaldehyde - Pathologists and embalmers who work with formaldehyde have an increased risk of developing brain cancer. Scientists have not found an increased risk of brain cancer among other types of workers exposed to formaldehyde.
    
    
  • Vinyl chloride - Workers who make plastics may be exposed to vinyl chloride. This chemical may increase the risk of brain tumors.

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causes of brain tumor

No one knows the exact causes of brain tumors. Doctors can seldom explain why one person develops a brain tumor and another does not. However, it is clear that brain tumors are not contagious. No one can "catch" the disease from another person.

Research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop a brain tumor. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.




Most brain tumors in children originate when a normal cell begins to grow abnormally and reproduce too rapidly. Eventually these cells develop into a mass called a tumor. The exact cause of this abnormal growth is unknown, though research continues on possible genetic and environmental causes.
Some kids are more susceptible to developing brain tumors due to certain genetic conditions. Diseases such as neurofibromatosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and retinoblastoma are all associated with a higher risk of brain tumors.

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