Medical Health Encyclopedia

Brain abscess

A brain abscess can develop by direct extension from an adjacent infected area. For example, infections of the middle ear and mastoid sinuses can spread to the brain.

A brain abscess can develop following a penetrating trauma through the skull, such as a gun or knife wound. This risk of infection is higher if fragments and dead tissue are left behind, and if antibiotic therapy is not started immediately. Surgery, especially when the air sinuses were opened or a foreign body was left in the brain (intracranial pressure monitor, stimulating electrode), can result in an infection.

Symptoms may develop gradually or suddenly. There may be little or no sign of general infection throughout the body. Early symptoms are usually headache, muscle weakness, visual changes, difficulty with balance or coordination, or seizures.

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People at higher risk of developing a brain abscess include those with right-to-left heart shunts, a chronic debilitating illness like cancer, who are immunocompromised (such as AIDS patients) and those taking immunosuppressants (corticosteroids).

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