A brain abscess is usually caused by infection with either bacteria or fungi. If the immune system is unable to kill an infection, it will try to limit its spread by using healthy tissue to form an abscess, to stop the pus infecting other tissue.
A cerebral abscess usually occurs when bacteria or fungi make their way into your brain, either through your bloodstream or from an infected area in your head, such as your ears or sinuses. An injury to your head or head surgery can also let in germs that can cause an abscess.
A brain abscess is a pus-filled swelling in the brain. It usually occurs when bacteria or fungi enter the brain tissue after an infection or severe head injury.
Prevention. You can reduce the risk of developing a brain abscess by getting treated for infections or health problems that can cause them. Some people, including those with certain heart disorders, may receive antibiotics before dental or other procedures to help reduce the risk of infection.
Between 1,500 and 2,500 cases occur each year in the United States. Brain abscesses are most likely to affect adult men aged under 30 years. Among children, they most commonly develop in those aged 4–7 years. Newborns are also at risk.
People with a weakened immune system have a higher risk of developing a brain abscess from a blood-borne infection.
The most frequent microbial pathogens isolated from brain abscesses are Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Among this class of bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Viridian streptococci are the commonest.
Brain abscesses are focal parenchymal infections, most often occurring in the first two decades of life. Overall, 25% of brain abscesses are seen in children and most often between 4–10 years of age. Abscesses begin as regions of cerebritis and progress to suppurative collections of encapsulated pus within 14 days.
Most people need a further 6 to 12 weeks rest at home before they're fit enough to return to work or full-time education. After treatment for a brain abscess, avoid any contact sport where there's a risk of injury to the skull, such as boxing, rugby or football.
Skin abscess risk factors
You may be more likely to develop a skin abscess if you have: A compromised immune system, such as from diabetes, chemotherapy, alcohol or drug abuse, or cancer. Poor hygiene habits. Poor blood circulation.
Rupture of a brain abscess is uncommon but is associated with a high mortality rate (up to 80%). Significant morbidity, including seizures, persistent weakness, aphasia, or cognitive impairment, affects an estimated at 20-30% of survivors.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the active tissues of the brain caused by an infection or an autoimmune response. The inflammation causes the brain to swell, which can lead to headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and seizures.
Brain abscess passes through 4 stages: early cerebritis, late cerebritis, early capsule, and late capsule. During early cerebritis, nonenhanced CT scans may demonstrate normal findings or may show only poorly marginated subcortical hypodense areas.
Abscess occurs most commonly in the frontal lobe but may occur in any location. Location is closely associated with source. Otogenic abscess occurs almost exclusively in the temporal lobe and cerebellum, while abscess associated with sinus infection is predominantly frontal.
Treat all brain abscesses with antibiotics (usually initially with ceftriaxone or cefotaxime plus metronidazole if clinicians suspect Bacteroides species or plus vancomycin if they suspect S. aureus), typically followed by CT-guided stereotactic aspiration or surgical drainage.
For example, in the late stage of bacterial infection, the formation of brain abscess shows MRI manifestation as a typical rim-like enhancement, which is often similar to necrotic malignant tumors, especially glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (8).
A small skin abscess may drain naturally, or simply shrink, dry up and disappear without any treatment. However, larger abscesses may need to be treated with antibiotics to clear the infection, and the pus may need to be drained.
Antimicrobial treatment for a brain abscess is generally long (6-8 wk) because of the prolonged time needed for brain tissue to repair and close abscess space. The United Kingdom treatment guidelines advocate 4-6 weeks if the abscess has been drained or removed and 6-8 weeks if drainage occurred.
A brain abscess can grow very quickly, typically becoming fully formed within about two weeks. Your doctor will begin treatment immediately after you are diagnosed. Prompt medical attention is the key to relieving your symptoms more quickly and minimizing damage to your long-term health.
The cumulative incidences of cancer among siblings of patients with brain abscess were 10% and 12% among siblings of the comparison cohort. Discussion Brain abscess was associated with substantially increased risk of cancer during the first 10 years after diagnosis.
Most common symptoms
Because these can be symptoms of many illnesses, a brain abscess can be hard to detect at first. In two-thirds of cases, people have symptoms for as long as two weeks before they are diagnosed.
The prognosis for a brain infection depends on the severity of your condition, what caused the infection, and how fast treatment was initiated. Most people who experience a brain infection make a full recovery.
Treat all brain abscesses with antibiotics (usually initially with ceftriaxone or cefotaxime plus metronidazole if clinicians suspect Bacteroides species or plus vancomycin if they suspect S. aureus), typically followed by CT-guided stereotactic aspiration or surgical drainage.
The risk of a brain abscess is a complication of odontogenic infection that is rarely considered by physicians and little spoken of, yet treating dental infections may avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. We report a case of 7-year-old boy with a brain abscess secondary to a dental infection.