Medic warns that suffering 'severe headaches' could be a sign of deadly brain disorder - and how to tell if you're at risk

A doctor has warned that scores of headache sufferers could have a hidden condition that can cause seizures, incontinence and life-long disability.

But medics too often mistake their symptoms for harmless stress headaches, leaving them to miss out on treatment, according to GP Dr Ahmed Abd Elbary.

Around one in 1000 people have a chiari malformation, where the lower part of the brain pushes through the skull into the spinal canal.

The problem varies in severity, but in some cases, it can cause significant damage to the spinal cord, leading to difficulties walking and using the toilet.

The malformation of the brain can also trigger potentially life-threatening seziures.

In an Instagram reel watched more than 27,000 times, GP Dr Ahmed Abd Elbary explained how to tell if headaches could be the sign of the condition.

The telltale symptom is 'chronic' headaches 'with acute episodes on top of the chronic headache,' he said.

'Headaches may get worse when you sneeze, bend over or cough.

'There can be other symptoms as well including dizziness, swallowing problems, neck pain, feeling sick, difficulty sleeping and sometimes even depression as well.

'If you're experiencing headaches that aren't getting better and have got any of these symptoms, bring it up with your doctor next time you see them.

'If you always suffer with headaches and nothing's making them better, they're getting worse then you may be suffering from it.

Dr Elbary added that the lack of availability of MRI scans — the tests used to diagnose the condition — is preventing many from getting a diagnosis.

He explained that a patient he saw that week had been diagnosed with the condition after suffering severe headaches.

'It made me wonder how many people are missed, not being diagnosed after having headaches,' he said.

Chiari malformations are mostly present at birth, and caused by DNA mutations that make the brain too large for the skull.

Most cases aren't detected until adulthood.

Seizures triggered by the condition could also be life-threatening, as they often occur without warning, risking serious injury.

There is also one 'very rare and potentially dangerous complication' of the condition, Dr Elbary added.

Known medically as syringomyelia — where a fluid-filled cavity called a syrinx develops in the spinal cord — it can damage the spinal cord if not treated promptly, the NHS says.

Those with the complication may also experience problems using their hands, difficulty walking, pain, and problems with bladder or bowel control.

Syringomyelia treatment often focuses on managing symptoms, preventing further spinal cord damage.

Dr Elbary added: 'Chiari malformation on its own is not life threatening and if the symptoms aren't that bad, generally they can be managed with medication.

'However, in some cases surgery is needed.

'I just think it is difficult to get the diagnosis especially in England, when getting an MRI scan or even me as a GP, referring for an MRI scan is proving more and more difficult.

'Any new headaches or new symptoms need to get investigated.'

It comes as a growing number of Brits have recently told how they were diagnosed with Chiari malformation, after spending most of their lives battling mysterious symptoms.

In December, Charlie Rolstone, 41, said she had been plagued with 'subtle' health problems, including migraines and severe motion sickness triggered by watching television and looking down at her phone.

However, the jewellery business owner from Hertfordshire 'ignored' the symptoms during her teenage years, believing they were 'quirks' that she'd 'grow out' of.

It was only after she collapsed on her way home from the pub in September 2021 that her partner rushed her to hospital where tests eventually discovered she had the condition.

'Whenever I cough, I get a very piercing pain in my head; covering the back of my skull,' she said.

'It only lasts for, maybe, 30 seconds, but it's enough to make me grab my head. I can't even shout, or raise my voice without getting a headache.

These were symptoms I knew to be there, but I thought they were normal.'