KATHMANDU: There are very few Nepalis who have never experienced the problem of headaches. You too may have suffered from headaches at one point or another.
A survey of risk factors related to non-communicable diseases conducted by the Health Research Council also shows that 15.2 percent of people were unable to work due to headache problems.
Lately, the word “headache” has been on everyone’s lips. Headaches can be very painful, dull, or throbbing. It can occur on one or both sides of the head and on the front or back. Doctors say that headache is not a disease in itself, it can also be caused by physical problems or diseases.
A situation when one should visit a neurosurgeon
By neurosurgeon, we mean a doctor who performs head surgery. If there is a situation where an operation is needed on the head, it is necessary to consult a surgeon. As neurosurgical diseases can be fatal, one should consult a neurosurgeon in such cases.
How does the head hurt in a fatal situation?
Bleeding from the head is fatal. Like, when you get hurt, the head bleeds. If the blood pressure is not well controlled, the blood vessels inside the head may suddenly burst and bleed.
This is known as hemorrhagic stroke. There are other symptoms like paralysis, inability to speak, and sometimes unconsciousness, all of these are caused by headaches.
Another serious case is an aneurysm. There are four vessels leading to the head. Blood vessels come out from it and the wall of the blood vessel is not strong at the place where the blood vessels come out. So it can’t keep up with the speed of blood. Sometimes they inflate like a balloon. And they burst.
Bleeding from the head after rupture is also serious. In such a situation, 10 to 20 out of 100 people die on the way before reaching the hospital. Its first symptom is a sudden headache as if never experienced before.
Fainting due to severe pain
To be unconscious is to be completely numb and unable to feel. Consciousness works only through the mind. There is a space in the brain called the brainstem. It works to hold a person in conscious status. There is a flow of waves in it, if it breaks, then one loses sense.
When someone strikes on head suddenly, then the brain might be affected. At that time one’s vision goes blurred, at that time the blood flow to the brainstem suddenly stops which turns the situation fatal.
Most vulnerable people
The causes of headaches are of two types, surgical and non-surgical. Headaches due to eyes, headaches due to sinusitis, and headaches due to joint pain are non-surgical.
When there is a general tumor inside the head, it has to be cut out. When the tumor is advanced, the blood vessels and muscles that go to the head are stretched and the head hurts a lot. These are surgical cases.
Risk of cutting out a tumor on the head
Surgeries on the head range from simple to complex. Any surgery has a 10 to 15 percent risk. So, there is risk in operation.
After cutting the skin during surgery, we reach the bone. After cutting it, there is a hinge that covers the brain, it also needs to be torn and while cutting where the tumor is, one has to take precautions as there are blood vessels in every place, and they can bleed when they are injured. If it is not controlled, it can bleed even after the operation.
After the incision, there is a possibility that bacteria can enter the place, which can lead to infection of the wound and other problems. During the brain operation, that place is slightly damaged. When that happens, it can sometimes cause a disease like epilepsy. These are common risks.
Among others, brain damage might lead to various complexities ranging from paralysis to unconsciousness. It does not occur in all people, only in 10 to 15 percent of people.
Once the tumor is excised
A tumor is a cell that surrounds the cells of a tissue, a process that develops from one cell to another. This happens in all places, so if the cells start to divide too much uncontrollably, it forms a kind of tumor.
There are mechanisms to control it. The tumor is controlled by genes. If that mechanism fails, cells divide uncontrollably, resulting in tumor growth.
It is of two types, one of them is cut and thrown away and does not return. If it does not spread to other parts of the body, it is called a simple tumor. And if it grows from the side or is moved to other parts of the body even after it is cut off, it is called malignant. This is cancer.
Something to keep in the notice
The first and most important thing is to identify the problem. To identify the disease, a simple test does not suffice; hence, many tests have to be carried out. People often think that everything should come back to normalcy after the operation. However, it is not always the same in the case of head surgery.
Most vulnerable group
Headaches can be in people of all age groups ranging from newborns to men of all ages. The treatment also differs as per the case and age of the patients. The surgeries can be the ones to be done while in the mother’s womb or when the person grows old.
As the lifestyle moves towards modernity, the vulnerability to hazards like diabetes, and abnormal blood pressure increases.
The amount of fat is found to increase in people due to their unnatural lifestyle. The fat causes problems like narrowing down the blood vessels. So these things should be controlled. Controlling obesity might safeguard a person from many health hazards.
(Prepared by Khabarhub correspondent based on a conversation with Dr. Chandra Man Prajapati)
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