Symptoms of Meningioma

Meningioma symptoms are not as well defined as other conditions and every diagnosed person will expereince something different happening to their body. This is all down to location of the meningioma within the skull and what part of the brain is being affected. Researchers are still baffled by this tricky brain tumour and there is still no conclusive evidence as to why they appear.

What is apparent though is that nobody has the exact same experience or meningioma symptoms which also make it tricky to diagnose. Having read through meningioma survival stories and spoken to neurologists it would appear that everyone has a different story to tell. The one thing that they did all share though is the emotion of shear panic when the diagnosis if confirmed.

Meningioma symptoms are very varied due to location and what body parts or functions are being affected in that part of the brain. Many people have very subtle symptoms which they don't associate with brain interference and these may be experienced over a long period of time before they become troublesome and the meningioma is diagnosed.

Meningioma symptoms such as memory loss, carelessness and vision blurring are also problems many people have to put up with as they get older and therefore these symptoms alone would not necessarily alert us to any major problem. Meningioma symptoms that often initially send us to the doctor are:

Vision neurological defects:

Arm or leg weakness

Seizures

Constant headaches

Other meningioma symptoms that may be passed by as insignificant on their own are:

Hearing loss

Loss of smell

Loss of sensation in the face

Vision Loss or visual problems

All these symptoms are caused because of increased pressure or restriction of the related function in the brain. The meningioma is fighting for space as it grows and if it is benign (non cancerous) and slow growing, can become fairly large before any symptoms become apparent. Appropriate treatment options are dependant on location but surgery is recommended if accessible to remove all or as much as possible of the meningioma.

A tumour of the meninges is called a meningioma. The protective membranes around the brain and the spinal cord are called the meninges. Most meningiomas are found to be benign. Research so far has shown that meningioma brain tumours are more common in women than men and seem to be more prevalent in the 40 - 60 year old age group. Research continues to be carried out into the possible causes of meningioma as at the present time, as with most brain tumours, no conclusive cause has been found.

The majority of meningioma brain tumors are benign - the word benign is misleading in this case as, when benign tumours grow and constrict the brain, they can cause disability and even be life threatening if not treated.

Listen to what your body is telling you. If you are experiencing any strange or unusual symptoms that you are uncomfortable about, a visit to your physician is always the best remedy.