What is Chiari Malformation?
Chiari Malformation is a structural abnormality of the skull in which part of the brain protrudes into the spinal canal. Surgery is required for treatment.
Statistically, one in every 1,000 people in the United States has Chiari Malformation, but scientists fear that the rate is much higher because not all patients with this disease show symptoms, so it is quite possible that the diagnosis rate is much higher.
Chiari Malformation may cause the following symptoms:
- Pain in the back of the head;
- Problems with balance and coordination;
- Dizziness and vertigo;
- Muscle weakness;
- Numbness in the extremities;
- Rapid heartbeat;
- Insomnia and chronic fatigue.
Common symptoms of Chiari malformation include:
- Blurred vision;
- Ringing in the ears or hearing loss;
- Difficulty swallowing, frequent drooling, vomiting;
- Scoliosis;
- Difficulty controlling bladder or bowel movements, the process becomes involuntary;
- Feeling of heart palpitations;
- Difficulty breathing during sleep.
Structural pathology in the brain and spinal cord puts pressure on a specific area - under this pressure, the cerebellum increases in size.
In a large percentage of clinical cases, Chiari malformation is congenital, that is, the baby is born with this diagnosis, although the symptoms appear at a relatively adult age. The cause is a genetic mutation that is fixed in the biological family or appears completely without a cause after conception.
Very rarely, Chiari malformation is acquired, and in such clinical cases, the cause of the change in the size of the skull or spinal cord is a brain tumor, cyst, hematoma, hydrocephalus, or intracranial hypertension.
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6008-chiari-malformation
