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How do they test for cerebritis?

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Posted 12/5/2008 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi-

How do they test for cerebritis? Is agitation, migraines, pulses hard in the head, ringing in ears, pain behind eyes, confusion, disorientation, forgetfulness symptoms? Isoniazid causes nerve damage, but no one can tell me if it damages the brain. I have atrophy of the brain that is progressing, no cause offered and no attempt made to diagnose why. This medicine sems like maybe it triggered it.

Posted 12/5/2008 4:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hello again my dear!!

 

Cerebritis and vasculitis show the same symptoms.  Both are found in people with Lupus, but cerebritis is caused by an underlying infection or the lupus.  Where vasculitis is the inflammation of the blood vessels. 

 

I couldn't find how cerebritis was tested, but for vasculitis it's an angiogram.

 

I did read that steroids are used to treat both conditions.  Another plug for Prednisone!

Posted 12/5/2008 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
An er doc felt I had cerebritis but then did a cat scan and said I didn't have it or something like that. But I get these big pimple lie bumps on my temples that scar when this happens and it hurts and he said it looked like cerebritis. Maybe try another doc. Rheumy wouldn't think of testnig me for it and the hosptial theyuse ask you whatyou have and don't look half the time at the films. They missed MAJOR problems, including a plate in my neck, on my xrays and scans of my back. Everything is normal unless there's like a dinner knife sticking out of your head or your brain has been replaced with a metal sign that says, "my brain has been replaced by this metal sign". Heck, they'd probably call that normal. I live in the country. like blue collar comedy redneck emergency room skit. that's where I live.

I wish I could be more positive, but I go to Jacksonville for alot. Even there if you are medicaid, they don'twant you coming back so unless you are really really bad where they could get sued, they can just takeyour money and tell you everything is fine.

Thanksfor replying, probably why it is worknig. I was stabbed in the head in 84 during a home invasion and it still hurts. I got blood poisoning because they "forgot" to give me antibiotics and I had a six inch drain in it. Sometimes I don't think all the infection went away. The doc who saw me whe it happened sad tht that can happen and sometimes they have to go in and clean it all out and all. But he is far away, and my other docs say I couldn't still have that infection, ugh

Thanks so much for the support. Isoniazid can make some infections act up because its a speciic antibiotic. So it may be that. Thanks so much Ginny.
Posted 12/5/2008 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
Ginny I think I know what's wrong. I am on isoniazid and it is a definite for drug induced lupus. Check out this list for drug induced lupus:

Box 135-2 - Agents Implicated in Drug-induced Lupus
Definite
Hydralazine
Procainamide
Isoniazid
Methyldopa
Chlorpromazine
http://www.wiserwiki.com/Systemic_Lupus_Erythematosus

Great...no wonder.
Posted 12/5/2008 5:41 PM (GMT 0)

Marji - Just wanted to add my two cents worth !  In 1981, I was diagnosed with Lupus Cerebritis (and vasculitis).  At that time, I was experiencing all the classic Lupus symtoms such as arthritis in my joints, Raynauds, fatigue, etc.  However, on top of those were severe headaches and vomitting combined.  The definitive diagnosis was found by blood work (ANA test, etc.), CT scan on my head, and a spinal tap.  Examination of the cerebral spinal fluid shows whether there is disease there.  The test was really not bad at all.  I was immediately started on I.V. Pred. which I believe saved my life. ............Nan

Posted 12/5/2008 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
I also had cerebritis. My symptoms were confusion, severe depression, visual disturbances, severe headaches with vomiting, mood swings...I had a CT with contrast and a spinal tap. I was also treated with prednisone which immediately began to help! Cerebritis is complicated and hard to diagnose. You need someone who KNOWs what they are doing! My doctor actually consulted with DR. Wallace who wrote the Lupus book! Judy
Posted 12/6/2008 4:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Judy and Nan! My blood is so thck now I can't hardly test my sugar. It may be just the old lack of oxygen, dehydration, migraine, electrolyte thing that happens.

Since I had the old head injury with blood poisoning, the encapsulated infections and abscesses deep in my neck that hadto be cleaned out and the recurring problems with neck infections. it might not even be lupus.

I was ready to go nuts with the headache, but the pred took it away. Finding a good doc here is hard. I asked for aspinal tap before because my back is so bad and happened so suddenly, and is deformed, but they won't do it and treat me like I'm a hypochondriac even though I had meningitis labeled west nile before.

I will ask again. It seems such a small thing todo since I've had a myelogram and two neck surgeries and was told I'm heading for a wheel chair and some level of paralysis because of spinal compression in my neck and several other places. But they said it was a bigger deal than injecting the dye in my spinal cord because they are removing fluid, though I got the horrible headaches when I had the myelogram too so I lost some CSFthen too.

Maybe I can push them some. I don't know. Hopefully it will go back in remission once I'm off the isoniazid. Thanks so so much. I'm so sorry you both were so sick and I'm glad they knew what to do. My ANA is always high, but they say I don't have lupus, just sjogrens really bad. I don't know thedifference. Seems like both are pretty bad. Iwas ready to blow my head off and yelling at everyone. my neckand head both hurt. light was killing me really bad. Went away within an hour of taknig pred, started feeling better right away. It felt like my brain was frying.
Posted 12/9/2008 10:46 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so glad the prednisone helped. I pray that you feel better soon and get to the bottom of your symptoms! God Bless You, Judy
Posted 12/10/2008 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi marji,

Its leta, Please email me!!! I went through the same thing until they put me on meds for inflammation of my nervous system!!!! I think I can have some answers for you!!!! I had very similar symptoms, electrolytes, glucose, etc.

Leta
Posted 6/16/2009 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
1993 i was diagnosed with cerebritis, my symptoms is fever when my family brought me to the hospital my body temperature is 41 degress which is very high, stiff neck (i can't hardly move my neck), cross-eyed and headache.

i was treated in the hospital for a month. every hour my nurse checking my blood pressure and taking some blood samples. when i come out in the hospital my doctors advice us to go to MRI (much better than CT Scan) to see if virus is already gone. im glad is totally gone but my eyes still cross-eyed but my doctors said it will come back in to normal (four months i think) that time i was in high school because of this disease im not able to come to school. when i came back to its first quarter exams. i dont have any notes and books to rely on. with the help of my class adviser i was able to come back to school and finish my third year high school. with dificulty to see i keep myself going to finish my schooling.

now its 16 years have i hope this disease will not come back. my doctors said they cannot say if this disease will come back.
Posted 6/16/2009 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Isoniazides has a side effect that can cause lupus like symptoms. Have you checked the drugs side effects that the pharmacy should give you or do you get it from the health dept? When I had to take it 24 years ago I developed lupus like symptoms. After I went off of it I started to feel a little better but after a year I was then diagnosed with full blown lupus.
Posted 11/15/2009 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have never heard of this, but I feel I have it also.  I have been diagnosed with Lupus, SLE and now in the process of diagnoses of MS also.  I am glad you posted this information so I have another direction to search.

I seem to have the symptoms you posted.

Thanks again

Posted 11/15/2009 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
my cerebritis was diagnosed through a spinal tap.. of course i was unconscious and mri showed inflation in the brain and..the day after it had showed 8 tia's and 1 pontine stroke.. 1 1/2 years later treated with high dose steroids the damage in my brain has cleared.. cerebritis is reversible but it can come back.. take a look at your meds.. when i had lupus cebritis at its worse i was having seizures, my eyes were locked in a far right pattern and i was unresponsive.. if you think your medicine is causeing it and you cant get in touch with your doctor call the pharmacist
Posted 11/15/2009 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
I hope you are ok with me crashing your board.  I just wanted to try and help.  MS and lupus have lots in common.  They are both autoimmune and have many similar symptoms.  Both can cause white matter lesions.  Obviously, I am more familiar with MS.  As most of you probably already know, once you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you may well be diagnosed with another.  There is strong evidence for an over-all predisposition for autoimmune diseases. 

IV solumedrol / steroids seems to be popular and somewhat effective in both diseases.  In MS, it is more to help with symptoms than to treat anything.  For MSers, once you start to flare, the overall damage has alreay happened.  The steroids won't lessen any potential permanent damage or disability.  It just helps you to get over that acute stage of inflammation/discomfort. 

Obviously, anything that damages the CNS is scary stuff.  Feel better everyone!

Posted 11/17/2009 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
Gretchen, they dxed my mom with Ulcerative colitis and my cousin on the same side has MS. There's some other illness on that side too.  I do great when I get the large doses of steroids. They injected my spinal nerve roots with solumedrol for my back and leg pain and it cleared my head right up. Now it is wearing off. Getting off the isoniazid helped, but I agree with the above post that you get better fora little while, then worse again.

I hope you are doing okay. Right now I think I have this porphyria going on with the lumps in my temples, or maybe it is the cerebritis. I have atrophy of the brain, I don't know if that is the same as white spots. It keeps getting worse, only steroids make it better, at least the mental symptoms. Idon't think it heals.

Posted 11/17/2009 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Marji,

Brain atrophy is scary stuff huh?  I am being watched for that as all MSers should be.  For MS, when you get demyelination, white matter lesions can show up.  A lesion is a clump of demyelination ( a place where the myelin has been destroyed and the axons may or may not be likewise destroyed ).  Brain atrophy is overall shrinkage of brain mass due to that same demyelination.  In the case of brain atrophy, that demyelination is sort of scattered about and over time causes there to be less usable brain mass. 

That shrinkage is measured with consistent MRIs.  For MS, steroids (specifically solumedrol) helps to ease symptoms but it doesn't really treat anything.  Once you flare, the damage has already been done.  The steroids just reduce inflammation so you can find your new baseline a bit sooner. 

How does this work with Lupus?  What causes lesions? 

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