Central Nervous System

Question 1

What are the symptoms of a intracerebral haemorrhage?

Answer 1

• Headache and rapid or gradual decrease in conscious level. - Usually arterial in origin. - ‘Haemorrhagic Stroke’ - low survival rate.

Question 2

What are the symptoms of a subarachnoid haemorrhage?

Answer 2

• Spontaneous - often catastrophic. - ‘Thunder-clap’ headache, meningitis-like symptoms

Question 3

What are the symptoms of a subdural haemorrhage?

Answer 3

• Fluctuant conscious level - Patient often on anticoagulants - Bleeding from bridging veins between cortex and venous sinuses - blood between dura and arachnoid.

Question 4

What are the symptoms of a extradural haemorrhage?

Answer 4

• Post head-injury, slowly falling conscious level, possibly with a lucid period.

Question 5

What are the symptoms of dementia?

Answer 5

• Progressive and largely irreversible clinical syndrome with widespread impairment of mental function. - Complex needs and high levels of dependence.

Question 6

What is the cause of alzheimers disease?

Answer 6

• Due to an accumulation of AB amyloid, tau-neurofibrillary tangles and plaques and loss of neurones and synapses.

Question 7

What is an example of a ‘diffuse’ brain infection?

Answer 7

Meningitis.

Question 8

What is an example of a ‘focal’ brain infection?

Answer 8

Abscesses.

Question 9

What are the symptoms of a brain abscess?

Answer 9

• Can lead to focal brain damage or mass effect. - Headaches, seizures and rising temperature. - Can spread via blood or as a direct infection.

Question 10

What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Answer 10

• Movement disorder - sporadic or familial. - Postural instability due to the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system and other neuron networks. - Rigidity, bradykinesis (slow movement), resting tremor, postural instability.

Question 11

What are the symptoms of brain tumours?

Answer 11

• Headaches - Seizures - Cognitive/behavioural change - Vomiting - Altered consciousness.

Question 12

What are meningiomas (brain tumours)?

Answer 12

• Benign tumours - arise from arachnoid cells and grow inwards towards the brain, not into the brain. - Enlarge slowly and removed by surgery.

Question 13

What are pituitary tumours?

Answer 13

• Cause compression symptoms (optic nerve) - Can be hormonally active (eg. PRL - nipple discharge) - Surgically removed trasphenoidally.