If the vessels of the head hurt: what to do and why this happens

02/06/2019 Alena Masheva Health

The brain is the most important organ for humans. Not only the basic functions that ensure the vital activity of our body, but also the behavior of people depend on its normal operation. The brain serves as a kind of control center for the body. It receives incoming external and internal information, and then analyzes it, subsequently determining the most correct course of action. Such work is carried out constantly, which allows the human body to function in a normal rhythm, choosing the necessary areas of activity under constantly changing conditions.

This is why it is so important for a person to pay attention to his health in case of problems with the blood vessels of the brain. In addition, it is worth keeping in mind that such ailments are not included in the list of rare diseases. In the structure of organic pathologies of the central nervous system, they occupy one of the first positions, manifesting themselves in 17% of cases. It is also necessary to pay special attention to problems with cerebral vessels because, according to the World Health Organization, deaths from them account for 14% of the total. In terms of frequency, deaths from problems with cerebral vessels are second only to diseases of the circulatory system and oncology.

First symptoms

How do problems with cerebral vessels manifest themselves? According to experts, the first symptoms of pathology are extremely varied. The specific manifestation of the disease depends on the reasons that provoked it. And these can be genetic defects and injuries, infections and immune disorders, vascular diseases, as well as benign or malignant neoplasms. Manifestations of such violations, which interfere with the coordinated work of a person’s “central control room,” are often expressed in similar signs. For example, problems with blood vessels in the brain, the symptoms of which are nausea and vomiting, are also caused by concussions or cancerous tumors. Be that as it may, any signs indicating interruptions in the functioning of our “control center” should certainly become a reason for consultation with a specialist and further monitoring of the state of health. Only with an integrated approach will it be possible to avoid the occurrence of complex pathologies in the brain and numerous complications that can arise in advanced diseases.

Malformation

The disease refers to congenital pathologies of areas of the vascular bed. The examination reveals disturbances in the anatomical structure of the circulatory system and blood supply to the brain. The reason is improper connection of blood vessels as a result of injury to the fetus during pregnancy or a genetic predisposition to such a pathology.

The malformation is accompanied by impaired blood flow to the brain, hypoxia, and lack of energy to carry out all functions. Symptoms depend on the degree of deviation of the location of blood vessels from the norm.

Treatment consists of removing the pathological area. Another treatment option is to stop blood circulation in a problem area of the vascular bed.

Stages

How do problems with cerebral vessels develop? The symptoms of such pathologies will depend on the course of the disease. If the vessels in the brain narrow gradually, the first signs of such a process may not be detected immediately. But sometimes this phenomenon manifests itself sharply and completely suddenly. In this case, the development of a heart attack or hemorrhagic stroke of the brain is likely. In the most severe cases, death occurs.

When studying this area, researchers identified three degrees of signs of problems with the blood vessels of the brain, each of which indicates a certain stage of damage to the “central control room” of our body:

First. At this stage, no signs of pathology are observed or they are very insignificant. The patient complains of fatigue. He suffers from insomnia and becomes overly irritable. However, the person believes that family troubles and hard work are to blame. Symptoms of problems with the blood vessels of the brain at the first stage are headaches (they occur in the afternoon), dizziness, a slight loss of concentration on the problem or task at hand.
Second. At this stage, signs of problems with the blood vessels of the brain are expressed in disturbances in the functioning of other internal organs. For example, the functioning of the motor and genitourinary systems is disrupted. The person becomes even more irritable. Seeing him in a good mood is very rare. Sometimes heart pain occurs at this stage. Symptoms of cerebral vascular pathology become obvious. However, their manifestation is short-term. Because of this, patients are also absolutely sure that these problems are associated with kidney and heart diseases. They take appropriate medications and forget about the symptoms for a while. As a rule, from such patients the doctor receives complaints about spots and stars in the eyes, tinnitus, numbness in the muscles of the face, arms and legs, blurred vision and speech, weakness, frequent urination, as well as incessant headaches. The person’s consciousness begins to become confused, the face turns red and memory deteriorates. Such symptoms last for several hours. After that they pass.
Third. At this stage, vasoconstriction reaches its maximum limit. The patient is unable to coordinate defecation, urination, and body movement. Due to oxygen starvation, the development of dementia begins, and a complete loss of working capacity is likely. Patients at this stage are bothered by trembling hands, chin and head. Their eyes produce movements regardless of the person’s desire, and the shape of their face becomes asymmetrical.

Let's look at the symptoms of problems with the blood vessels of the brain, treatment of which should be started immediately after their appearance as prescribed by a doctor.

Headache

This symptom accompanies many different pathologies. And, as a rule, people are used to getting rid of such a problem by taking painkillers. However, the clarification of the reasons due to which this painful discomfort occurs must be carried out comprehensively and comprehensively.

After all, headaches of varying intensity occur with tumors and pre-stroke conditions, migraines and cervical osteochondrosis, pathologies of the vascular system, injuries, etc.

Other symptoms

How do problems with cerebral vessels manifest themselves? They can be expressed as:

Personality and behavior changes. Similar symptoms usually occur with mental disorders. However, they can also be observed in the case of Alzheimer's disease, dementia, intoxication and pathologies of the vascular system of the brain.
Dysfunctions of sensations. Sometimes a person has problems with balance and hearing, vision, as well as taste and smell. Such signs are observed in case of damage to the areas of brain tissue responsible for these functions. The source of such a pathological process can be trauma, tumors, intoxication and infectious processes.
Inability to concentrate. This symptom is a sign of a variety of vascular pathologies of the brain structure. Their list includes neuroses, post-traumatic changes, cancer and mental disorders.
Weaknesses. One of the reasons for this fairly common symptom is brain pathologies. Their list includes intoxications, infectious lesions, tumor processes, vascular disorders, multiple sclerosis, etc.
Cramps. This symptom occurs for reasons of both epileptic and non-epileptic nature. Seizures are the result of a variety of pathologies that cause disturbances in the functioning of the vessels supplying the brain. These are various mental abnormalities, lack of vitamins D, E, B2 and B6, exposure to toxins on certain brain structures, deficiency of microelements such as potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium, dehydration, infections, organic lesions and heat strokes.
Numbness of certain parts of the body or their paralysis. Similar symptoms occur due to migraines, epilepsy, vegetative-vascular disorders, injuries, organic brain damage, strokes and tumor diseases.
Loss of consciousness and confusion. These signs accompany encephalopathy, vegetative-vascular dysfunction, traumatic brain injury, meningitis, tumors and intoxication.
Nausea. If such a symptom is present, we can talk about the likelihood of pathologies such as encephalitis, neurosis, etc. Nausea also indicates ischemia, oncology, disorders of the vegetative-vascular system, encephalopathy, and mental illnesses.
Sleep disorders. A similar symptom occurs with neurasthenia and neuroses, depression and mental disorders, intoxications and vascular dysfunctions of the brain.

What other problems could there be with the blood vessels of the brain? The most dangerous condition is coma. The cause of its development may be an infectious lesion of the brain, oxygen starvation of its tissues, trauma, epilepsy, stroke, poisoning with drugs, toxins and poisons.

The most common cerebrovascular diseases: clinical symptoms and treatment

Disturbances of this process are diverse: spasms, atherosclerosis, strokes, aneurysms, stenoses, malformation. Cerebrovascular pathologies play a leading role in the disability of the population; the mortality rate from stroke, the most common disease, is high. Among the most common causes are hypertension, bad habits, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.

Contact a specialist

If there are symptoms of problems with the blood vessels of the brain, which doctor should you go to for consultation? If there are signs of pathology, you should make an appointment with a neurologist. However, many of the symptoms described above are observed in a wide variety of diseases. That is why the factors that provoked the pathology are identified when the patient is examined by a doctor, as well as during laboratory and instrumental examinations. When drawing up a diagnostic plan, the doctor will certainly take into account the information received from the patient about his well-being, determining on the basis of this data the need for MRI, CT, angiography, etc.

If the slightest signs of cerebral vascular disease appear, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor. Even the most harmless symptoms can indicate the development of serious and very dangerous diseases. Let's look at the most common of them.

Prevention

You need to eat right and watch your own weight. In the morning, doctors advise eating whole grain porridge, seafood is suitable for lunch, and vegetables are a must. It is advisable to limit the intake of fatty and dairy products, and reduce the amount of sweets to a minimum .

Doctors often advise giving up fatty foods, fried, canned foods. As for drinks, it is better to give preference to herbal tinctures that can strengthen blood vessels. You need to drink at least 2 liters per day. This makes it possible to avoid stagnation in blood vessels and the accumulation of harmful microelements.

Atherosclerosis

This disease affects the vessels of the brain, as well as those in the neck. The cause of its occurrence is damage to the walls of arteries and veins by formations consisting of connective tissue and fat. When atherosclerotic plaques appear on the wall of a vessel, its lumen begins to gradually narrow. This process has a negative impact on the blood supply to the organ. In this regard, the nutrition of neurons deteriorates and brain hypoxia occurs.

Currently, scientists have not yet been able to accurately determine the causes of atherosclerosis. According to some of them, such vascular lesions are a consequence of the natural aging process of the body. There is another opinion. Based on it, atherosclerosis is considered as an independent pathology that provokes problems with the blood vessels of the brain.

What are the factors that cause atherosclerosis?

Among them:

physical inactivity;
lipid metabolism disorders;
hypertension;
heredity;
diseases of the endocrine system;
alcohol abuse and smoking;
vasculitis;
content in the diet of a large number of foods rich in cholesterol.

In the early stages, the symptoms of atherosclerosis are minor. This could be, for example, rapid fatigue and headaches. However, as the pathology develops, a person experiences sleep problems, gait disturbances, tinnitus, and short-term memory failures.

The main danger of atherosclerosis is that neoplasms in the affected artery can completely block its lumen. This will cause the blood supply to the brain to be cut off. Such a condition will certainly lead to tissue necrosis (ischemia). The results of such violations lead not only to disruptions in the functioning of our brain, but also threaten a person with disability and even death.

If problems with cerebral vessels occur due to atherosclerosis, which doctor should I contact? If you suspect the development of this pathology, you must make an appointment with a neurologist or vascular surgeon. It is these specialists who diagnose and treat cerebral vascular diseases caused by narrowing of the lumens of arteries and veins. Depending on the situation, it may be necessary to consult a cardiologist and endocrinologist.

Diagnosis of problems with cerebral vessels is carried out using:

Magnetic resonance imaging.
Ultrasound examination of internal organs and the heart, including Dopplerography.
Angiography of the neck and brain.
Biochemical blood test data.

To eliminate problems with cerebral vessels, treatment of atherosclerosis must be continuous and comprehensive. It consists primarily of the patient following a diet that helps normalize body weight and reduce high cholesterol levels. In addition, the doctor prescribes certain medications that can eliminate problems with the blood vessels of the brain. Treatment of atherosclerosis is carried out by prescribing the following drugs:

normalizing cholesterol levels (diosponin, thiamine, linetol, Pyridoxine);
groups of anti-protectors (anginin, prodectin);
anticoagulants (heparin, pelentan, syncumar).

The course of treatment of the arteries and veins of the brain is also carried out with the use of antioxidants and vitamin and mineral complexes. If there is a threat of thrombosis and a vessel is blocked by a plaque, the patient undergoes surgery. In this case, the affected vessel is dilated with a balloon catheter or walls are implanted at the site of its narrowing.

Acquired pathologies

Pain in the head can be caused not only by congenital pathologies, but also acquired ones.

The following can be included here:

Pain in the blood vessels in the head in the morning and at night may be due to excessive blood supply to the venous network; small capillaries in this situation may burst. Most often, pain is felt in the back of the head, temples and less often in the eyes. By adopting a vertical position of the body, the outflow is normalized - spasms disappear, and well-being improves.
Atherosclerotic plaque deposits – obstructing blood flow to certain places in the brain. The narrowing of blood vessels is chronic and progressive, pain is felt constantly.
If the arteries of the neck are pinched and the head hurts, this may be due to degenerative changes in the structure of the neck. Many people feel pain at the end of the working day, there is dizziness, blurred vision. The reasons are a lack of nutrients in constricted vessels. Vegetative-vascular dystonia and osteochondrosis have a direct relationship.

Why the vessels in the head hurt can only be answered by a doctor after an examination.

Cerebral vasculitis

Let's look at the causes, symptoms and treatment of problems with cerebral vessels caused by this dangerous disease. Cerebral vasculitis develops as a result of inflammatory processes that occur in the walls of blood vessels that supply the brain with blood.

This pathology occurs:

Primary. The reason for its development is systemic damage to the circulatory system.
Secondary. In this case, cerebral vasculitis is a complication of allergic or infectious pathologies.

A specific list of causes causing this disease has not yet been identified. One of the most common factors provoking pathology is lupus erythematosus, brain tumor, rheumatic disease of the heart and blood vessels, infectious diseases, as well as nonspecific aortoarteritis.

Signs of cerebral vasculitis develop quite rapidly. They resemble symptoms of a stroke. A person experiences severe headaches, vision, hearing and sensitivity are impaired. The primary type of the disease is accompanied by epileptic seizures and cognitive impairment. The secondary type of the disease is manifested by transient ischemic attacks and convulsions.

Patients with such symptoms of problems with cerebral vessels are examined and treated by specialists from various fields. This is a therapist and rheumatologist, otolaryngologist and nephrologist, surgeon and neurologist. Diagnosis of the disease is carried out using a detailed hemogram and angiography (magnetic resonance or computer). Such vascular diseases are treated only in a hospital setting. Patients are prescribed antibiotics, glucocorticoids, including in the form of injections (in this case, for problems with cerebral vessels, for example, Prednisolone is used), as well as immunosuppressants. If vasculitis is caused by an allergic reaction, then the course of treatment is carried out using antihistamines.

Encephalopathy

With this disease, cerebral circulation insufficiency occurs, caused by impaired vascular functioning. This may be a narrowing of their lumens, stenosis or infection. Diagnosis of discirculatory encephalopathy indicates the presence of progressive disorders of the functions and structure of the brain in a person.

The causes of this pathology are vascular diseases. This may be vasculitis or atherosclerosis. In addition, hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, congenital pathology of the connective tissues of the brain, or stagnation of venous blood can provoke the development of dyscirculatory encephalopathy. A similar problem can cause:

hypoxia;
atrophy of the brain substance;
microinfarctions.

Symptoms of the pathology depend on the stage of development of the disease. During the first stage, a person’s performance decreases. He begins to get tired faster and ceases to control his irritation. Depression is a common occurrence for such a patient. A person complains of tinnitus, headache and dizziness.

In the second stage, the symptoms of the disease described above begin to progress. In addition, pathological reflexes appear and dilation of blood vessels located in the fundus occurs.

At the third stage, a person’s intelligence decreases and dementia develops. Epilepsy attacks are common.

The appearance of alarming signs is a significant reason to make an appointment with a neurologist. The specialist will prescribe the necessary studies to diagnose the disease. In their list:

computed tomography of the brain;
rheoencephalography;
Doppler ultrasound;
biochemical and general blood tests.

If the pathology, which is manifested by the symptoms of problems with the blood vessels of the brain described above, is confirmed, appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

The scheme for getting rid of the pathology is selected by a neurologist and a vascular surgeon and includes:

Blood pressure control. To normalize it, the patient is prescribed ACE inhibitors (Quadropril, Captopril), beta blockers (Bisoprolol, Betacard), as well as diuretics (Veroshpiron, Furosemide).
Taking lipid-correcting statins (Simvastatin, Atorvastatin).
Prescription of drugs containing nicotinic acid that improve blood circulation.
Taking antihypoxants (glutamic acid).

In cases where the stenosis has spread to more than 70% of the vessels, the patient needs surgery.

If blood vessels are a secondary disease

There are pathologies in which vascular diseases of the brain are caused not by the vessels themselves, but by the primary factors that led to brain pathologies of a vascular nature. For example, a brain tumor. As the tumor grows, it can compress the artery, thereby reducing the lumen of the vessel. This will lead to insufficient blood flow, ischemia and possible necrosis of brain tissue. In such diseases, the root cause should be identified and contacted by an appropriate specialist. In the case of tumors, this is an oncologist.

Source: sortmozg.com

Aneurysms

The walls of blood vessels consist of three layers. If they weaken, the movement of blood leads to protrusion of one of the areas. Blood immediately appears in the sagging cavity, which puts pressure on other layers. This phenomenon threatens to rupture the vessel, resulting in a hemorrhagic stroke. An aneurysm is dangerous because a person does not feel any symptoms until the vessel ruptures.

This disease is diagnosed by performing an ultrasound examination of the neck and blood vessels supplying the brain. Angiography can also be used for this purpose.

The main causes of the disease are:

oncology;
vasculitis;
drug use and smoking;
traumatic brain injuries;
hypertension;
atherosclerosis.

A rupture of a vein or artery is accompanied by partial paralysis, a drop in blood pressure, nausea and loss of consciousness. When such symptoms appear, urgent hospitalization and, in most cases, surgery are required, during which surgeons fasten the ruptured section of the vessel walls.

When diagnosing an aneurysm, the doctor prescribes to the patient:

calcium channel blockers;
anticonvulsants (Topamax, Gabitril);
drugs that normalize blood pressure.