Cerebral spasm is a sudden narrowing of the lumen between the walls of blood vessels. The condition is dangerous because it causes serious disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.
To prevent its onset, you need to know the reasons why it usually occurs. About the symptoms of spasm of cerebral vessels, as well as how to treat this pathology, now we will talk.
General characteristics
Before we turn to the symptoms of cerebral vasospasm, we should talk about what processes in the body characterize this phenomenon.
So, the process of moving blood through the vessels is accompanied by contraction and relaxation of their walls. When does spasm occur? In such, when the walls are reduced, but relaxation does not occur. Because of this, the blood circulation process is disturbed and pain occurs.
And these are the signs of a spasm:
- Only small arteries inside the brain are affected.fabrics.
- Changes affect only one or a few areas of the hemisphere, but not the entire brain.
- Spasm causes a powerful contraction of the muscle fibers of the vascular walls.
- The phenomenon may end in a moment or last for several hours, but no more.
- At the same time, the functioning of nerve cells is significantly impaired due to a decrease in the intensity and speed of blood flow.
The most important thing is that disruption of the brain leads to failures in all organs and systems. Because for their full functioning, constant nutrition is necessary. And it is carried out precisely through the vessels pumping blood.
Symptoms
There are no specific signs of this pathology. Any one symptom of a spasm of cerebral vessels may appear, and a person will not even think that this indicates problems with the contraction of their walls - he will simply write it off for something else.
But often several signs make themselves known at once. Namely:
- Severe headache.
- Flashing "goosebumps" before the eyes.
- Dizziness.
- Decreased performance and increased fatigue.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Tinnitus aggravated by exercise.
In especially severe cases, the following symptoms of cerebral vasospasm appear:
- Speech impairment.
- Loss of orientation in space.
- Memory gaps.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Incoordinationmovements.
As a rule, everything happens suddenly. A person can calmly go about their business, but the very next second they experience one of the above or even all the symptoms at once.
However, there are also people with chronic spasm. It manifests itself with milder symptoms, but is fraught with complications, and of these, ischemic stroke is the most severe. It develops if the lumen of the vessel is completely blocked.
If you do not provide timely competent assistance to a person, due to the lack of blood supply, the death of neurons may begin.
Why is there constriction?
Talking about the symptoms of cerebral vasospasm, the reasons are also worth noting. The trigger is usually one of the following:
- Overwork. When a person works too hard, his blood supply deteriorates. This is fraught with spasms.
- Lack of sleep. The brain, like any other organ in the body, needs rest. If a person does not sleep enough hours, his fatigue is not completely eliminated. This causes headaches and vasospasms.
- Lack of oxygen. Because of this, the nutrition of the brain deteriorates significantly, and the vessels first of all react to this. Therefore, it is important to frequently ventilate the room in which a person spends the most time, as well as walk in the fresh air.
- Smoking. People who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day arerisk group.
- Vegetovascular dystonia. Symptoms include heart pain, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure and temperature, sweating, nausea, shortness of breath and tinnitus.
- Tachycardia and other cardiac disorders.
- Oncology.
- Disorders of the thyroid gland and kidneys.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
It is important to note that everyday situations can also contribute to the appearance of symptoms of cerebral vasospasm in an adult. For example, excessively long exposure to the cold with an uncovered head, a large amount of alcohol drunk or severe stress.
Diagnosis
Having discovered symptoms of cerebrovascular spasm, treatment should be started as soon as possible. But before that, you need to make sure that headaches and other unpleasant manifestations are signs of this particular pathology. So a diagnosis is needed. As a rule, in such cases, one should contact an angiosurgeon or a neurologist.
After questioning and visual inspection, the person will be directed to undergo the following procedures:
- Ultrasound, which determines the presence of problems with blood clots, the speed of blood flow and the condition of the arteries.
- MRI with contrast. This research method helps to identify almost all pathologies of cerebral vessels, even small metastases that are invisible with conventional MRI. It is carried out with the introduction of a special drug into the blood, which improves the quality of images.
- X-ray with contrast. Procedure similar to the previous one.
Depending on the individual characteristics of the organism, the patient will be prescribed one or another diagnostic method.
Treatment with antispasmodics
Now we can talk about what you need to take to relieve the symptoms of spasms of cerebral vessels. Drugs from the group of antispasmodics help eliminate pain, so treatment is not complete without them. However, their effect is temporary, disappears after a few hours, so taking these pills is combined with the use of other drugs. But more about them later.
Effective antispasmodics are:
- "Papaverine". A myotropic drug that inhibits phosphodiesterases (enzymes) causes dilation of arteries, reduces the tone of smooth muscles and blood vessels, and improves blood flow. Also has a hypotensive effect.
- "Drotaverine forte". It has a myotropic and vasodilating effect. Reduces motor activity of smooth muscles of internal organs and their tone. The chemical composition is similar to the previous drug, but surpasses it in efficiency and duration of exposure.
- "No-Shpa". This well-known remedy has hypotensive, vasodilating, myotropic and antispasmodic effects.
- "Bellalgin". It has an analgesic, moderate anesthetic, antacid and antispasmodic effect. Recommended to eliminate spasms and pain syndromes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- "Spazmolitin". This drug has anticholinergic activity, has a local anesthetic effect. The tool is effective, helps to cope even with neuralgiaand neuritis.
All of the listed drugs used to eliminate symptoms and treat spasm of cerebral vessels are derivatives of atropine (an m-cholinergic receptor blocker).
You can also take "Andipal" - a spasmoanalgesic, a combined remedy that combines the properties of "Papaverine", "Dibazol" and "Analgin".
Eufillin, Atromidin, Atomax and Mekavor tablets can also help in eliminating symptoms and treating cerebrovascular spasm.
Firming drugs
Their doctor will also prescribe. A long course of therapy necessarily involves taking medications that help restore tone and strengthen the arterial walls. The drugs in this group include:
- "Vinpocetine forte". This tool improves brain metabolism and blood circulation. It has a direct vasodilating effect on the vessels of the brain, due to its myotropic properties. Significantly improves microcirculation and blood supply in the brain tissues, normalizes the rheological properties of blood and reduces platelet aggregation.
- Cavinton. It also improves brain metabolism and blood circulation. It increases the consumption of oxygen and glucose by the brain tissue and the resistance of neurons to hypoxia, improves the exchange of serotonin and norepinephrine. It also thins the blood and reduces platelet aggregation.
- Bravinton. Provides all of the above, and also increasesthe content of catecholamines in brain tissues.
- Telectol. Expands blood vessels, has antiaggregant and antihypoxic effect. Increases blood flow (especially active in ischemic areas).
- Nicotinic acid. This lipid-lowering agent compensates for the lack of vitamin PP, normalizes the concentration of lipoproteins and cholesterol in the blood, and also improves microcirculation and has a vasodilating effect at the level of small vessels.
Telling about which pills really help in eliminating the symptoms of cerebral vasospasm, it should also be noted that the periwinkle medicinal plant and products made on the basis of its derivatives - nitrogen-containing organic compounds have a long-lasting effect on blood circulation.
Calcium channel blockers
These drugs help to restore the rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the brain vessels. The most effective blockers are:
- Kordafen. Dissociates the processes of excitation and contraction, normalizes the current of calcium ions, enhances coronary blood flow and improves blood circulation. Also reduces peripheral vascular resistance.
- "Diltiazem". It has antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive and antianginal effects. This drug also dilates the coronary arteries, reduces the tone of smooth muscles and increases blood flow.
- "Isoptin". It has the same spectrum of action as the previous drug. It affects both the myocardium andperipheral hemodynamics.
In continuation of the story about the symptoms, causes and treatment of spasms of cerebral vessels, I would like to note that the drugs listed above, although they dilate the arteries, do not affect the veins in any way. This is their significant advantage. In addition, of all existing blockers, they are considered the most harmless and versatile.
What kind of remedy to take, only a doctor can tell. Of the more serious drugs, Nimodipine is usually prescribed.
Sedatives
Continuing to list drugs that help in alleviating symptoms and treating spasms of cerebral vessels, we must make a reservation that one cannot do without medications that have a sedative effect.
The best are: "Motherwort forte", "Corvalol", "Valerian" and "Novopassit". It is better to take these drugs in the form of drops - dilute in a small amount of water and drink. So the active substances are absorbed faster, and the effect comes literally in 20-30 minutes.
If these remedies are ineffective, the neurologist prescribes a drug of synthetic origin, which has a more powerful effect.
By the way, a person will also need to take drugs that eliminate the effects of spasms. These include Cortexin, Piracetam, Glycine Forte and Nootropil. The course of treatment is usually 2-3 months.
Gingko biloba preparations
It is impossible not to tell about them, since we are talking about the treatment of cerebral vasospasm with medicines. Symptoms and their manifestations can significantly alleviate drugs, which include an extract of a medicinal plant - gingko biloba.
They have a combined effect on cerebral blood flow. These drugs include Tanakan, Gingium, Bilobil, Ginkor Fort and Biloba.
All of the above drugs relieve pain in the cerebral and cervical vessels, normalize blood circulation, thin it, and also strengthen the walls of veins and arteries. Plus, they slow down the process of oxidation of organic compounds, eliminate cerebral edema and improve performance.
Folk remedies
They should be listed at the end of the topic concerning the causes, symptoms and treatment of spasms of cerebral vessels. Folk remedies in combination with medications will have a positive preventive effect.
The best remedy is infusions. Here are two popular recipes:
- In a thermos you need to fill up 1, 5 tbsp. l. dried thyme. Pour in a liter of boiling water. Let it brew for 2-3 hours. Filter, mix with the juice from the stems and leaves of the golden mustache (5-6 drops are enough). If this ingredient is not available, you can add 1 tsp. freshly squeezed garlic juice. Drink the resulting infusion of 2 tbsp. l. twice a day, but no more than three times a week.
- Pour crushed periwinkle leaves into an enamel saucepan. Pour in a glass of cold water. Boil, and then simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from the stove, wrap with a towel for 1-2 hours. Drinkinfusion in large portions throughout the day.
Despite the fact that these products include natural, natural ingredients, it is recommended to consult with your doctor before using them. Uncontrolled use of such drugs can harm.
