Meningioma is the most common type of tumor that develops in the head. The tumor grows from the meninges, the membranes (thin layers of tissue) that surround your brain and spinal cord. Most meningiomas are noncancerous.
Meningiomas usually grow slowly, so symptoms develop and become more noticeable over time. If you have symptoms, you may notice headaches, dizziness or speech changes.
Small tumors may have no symptoms, so your healthcare provider may choose to monitor the tumor without treatment. If the tumor is larger and pressing on surrounding tissue, you may have neurological symptoms, and your healthcare provider may recommend surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the symptoms are from a meningioma or other conditions that can appear in a similar way. If you have any symptoms of a meningioma, see your doctor to confirm the cause.
Because of the limited space in the skull, larger meningiomas can put pressure on the surrounding tissue in the brain. When this happens, you may develop neurological changes, such as headaches and movement problems.
Attacks
If you have a meningioma, you may experience seizures. Generalized seizures and partial seizures are two types of seizures that can occur due to the increased pressure of the meningioma.
Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain, and during one you may lose consciousness. A partial seizure starts in one part of the brain and usually causes irregular body movements or changes in sensation in one part of the body. Some people with meningioma may experience both types of attacks.
dementia
Meningiomas can cause reversible dementia.
Symptoms may include memory loss or difficulty thinking.For some people these symptoms can affect their social or work life; meningiomas that cause neurological symptoms such as difficulty controlling emotions and making decisions can make it difficult to care for yourself without help.
Muscle Changes
Meningiomas can cause changes in the muscles, making them stiff or weak. Some people may experience a clonus reflex, which is when a particular joint rhythmically pulsates back and forth when flexed.
Muscle weakness or paralysis can also occur from meningiomas, which affect most places in your body, including the face. Some people develop weakness in the jaw, which can affect how they eat or speak.
Sensory changes
Other neurological changes due to meningiomas include differences in smell, hearing, and vision.
If you have an olfactory groove meningioma — a rare tumor that grows along the nerves between the brain and the nose — you may develop Foster-Kennedy syndrome. This condition can cause loss of vision in one or both eyes and loss of smell.
If a meningioma presses on the cranial nerves (nerves in the brain), you may have hearing loss, neck pain, or bulging eyes.
Meningiomas in the front and center of the brain can cause personality changes.
Psychological symptoms
Meningiomas in the brain can cause symptoms of depression, including:
- Persistent sadness
- Anxiety
- Hopelessness or pessimism
- Low energy
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of interest in hobbies
Meningiomas can also cause psychiatric syndromes such as mania, hallucinations, and anorexia. Because someone can have these symptoms without a meningioma, only the psychological symptoms of a meningioma—and no neurological symptoms—can make the diagnosis difficult.
Meningiomas are rare in children and adolescents. On average, childhood meningiomas occur around age 13, with 4% of cases affecting children 1 year of age or younger.
Symptoms of meningioma in children include:
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Attacks
- Drowsiness
- Papilledema, or swelling of the optic nerve in the eye
- Intracranial hypertension, a condition that creates pressure in the skull
While meningiomas affect more adult women than men, there is no gender difference in incidence among children.
Meningiomas become more common as people age, peaking in adults over age 75. Women are more than twice as likely to develop meningiomas as men – and three times more likely during their childbearing years.Symptoms include weakness in the arms and legs, sensory and visual changes, and seizures.
If you already have a meningioma and you become pregnant, the meningioma can grow. Most meningiomas have receptors that respond to the hormone progesterone. Progesterone levels can rise when you’re pregnant, which can cause the tumor to change in size and make symptoms worse.
You should contact your doctor for any signs or symptoms of a meningioma. Contact your healthcare team if you experience:
- Decreased muscle strength or difficulty moving
- Changes in vision or headaches
- Personality changes
These symptoms may mean that your tumor is pressing on surrounding tissue in the brain or spine.
If you experience an attack for the first time or during pregnancy, go to the emergency room immediately. Call 911 for all attacks that:
- Cause injury or trouble breathing
- Lasts longer than five minutes
- It happens in water
- It happens one after the other
Any of these events can be a medical emergency that requires prompt treatment.
The type and size of the meningioma will determine your doctor’s treatment options. Their first course of action usually involves routine imaging tests and close monitoring of small benign meningiomas. For large, fast-growing symptomatic meningiomas, they will need to do surgery.
A meningioma is a tumor that starts in the skull. It is usually non-cancerous and slow growing. Small meningiomas may not cause any symptoms.
You are more likely to experience symptoms if the tumor is larger. Your symptoms would depend on the location of the meningioma in the brain and may include dizziness, headache, pain or seizures.
If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.