Experts have revealed the telltale signs your headache might be something more pernicious after Teddi Mellencamp’s brain tumor diagnosis.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star revealed this week that she has several masses in her brain after several weeks of ‘severe and debilitating’ headaches.
Headaches are one of the most common ailments in the US, affecting 96 percent of Americans at some point in their lives, and they are usually harmless.
But in rare cases, a seemingly innocuous headache may be the first sign of a deadly tumor.
If pain strikes first thing in the morning, it could be a sign that a tumor was pressing on the skull during sleep.
Brain tumors also cause headaches that worsen from coughing and sneezing, as the sensation irritates surrounding tissue and blood vessels.
And vomiting may be a ‘red flag’ due to increased brain pressure triggering nausea.
Having a history of melanoma may also raise the risk, as up to 70 percent of patients with advanced melanoma develop brain tumors.
Teddi Mellencamp, 43, revealed a devastating health update on Wednesday and shared ‘multiple tumors’ were found on her brain – resulting in her needing emergency surgery; seen in 2024 in LA
Mellencamp is pictured on her Instagram before having her hair shaved off ahead of emergency brain surgery
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Nearly 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with brain tumors every year, and roughly one and four of these cause cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 18,000 Americans die from brain or spinal cord tumors every year.
Headaches tend to be the most common sign of a brain tumor, though seizures, difficulty speaking, personality changes, weakness, numbness, loss of balance, hearing and vision changes are also common.
The risk of developing a brain tumor, however, is about one percent.
In an Instagram Reel posted last year, pediatric emergency room physician Dr Meghan Martin pointed to headaches first thing in a morning as a ‘red flag’ brain tumor sign.
She said: ‘Brain tumors can cause headaches, but the giveaway is the timing of the headache.’
Brain tumors press on surrounding cells and cause pressure in the brain.
Lying down, such as to sleep, causes the tumor to press more directly on these cells and tissues, causing pressure to increase.
That elevated pressure can also cause people with brain tumors to wake up in the middle of the night.
Dr Martin also said that the increased pressure from brain tumors may also stimulate parts of the brainstem responsible for vomiting, so a headache that comes with nausea and vomiting is another red flag.
Pain that worsens from sensations like coughing and sneezing could also indicate a brain tumor because coughing or sneezing further irritates the tissues a tumor is pressing against.
About 96 percent of Americans suffer at least one headache at some point in their lifetime, but the risk of developing a brain tumor is less than one percent
In a recent TikTok video, Michigan-based neurologist Dr Baibing Chen warned that suddenly developing headaches after 50 could be a sign of a brain tumor.
The likelihood of developing more common headache and migraine disorders decreases with age due to changes in the production of hormones that make the brain more sensitive to pain, such as estrogen.
Developing headaches in older age, such as after menopause, could then be a sign that they are caused by conditions like a brain tumor.
Headaches around the forehead and middle of the face may also indicate a tumor in the pituitary gland, which controls hormone production.
Pituitary tumors are one of the most common types of cancerous mass, accouting for one in 10 brain tumors.
A family history of brain cancer may also increase the risk, though most tumors are not heriditary.
Dr Martin said people with these symptoms should see a doctor for a CT or MRI scan to rule out the possibility of a brain tumor.
