My daughter has headache,blurred vision,numbness of arm and face. Is it an emergency?

Question

Hello doctor,

My 13 year old daughter complained late yesterday afternoon of a really bad headache and blurred vision with numbness in her arm. I gave her Ibuprofen, she then vomited not long after and said she felt better. This morning she woke saying that it was even worse. So, I took her to the local emergency department. Within 5 minutes of arriving, she had a numb arm, and the right side of her face was also numb. She could not talk properly. They administered Panadeine (Paracetamol+Codeine) and sent her to wait for the doctor. The feeling in her face returned, and we were called in. The nurse practitioner asked her questions, and she was not able to answer them properly. She seemed confused and trying really hard to find the words. They diagnosed it as viral sinusitis, and I am concerned that is not right. Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I am afraid to say that the clinical history of your daughter appears to be more than just viral sinusitis. Viral sinusitis is probably an incidental finding.

Abrupt onset of headache, blurring of vision, difficulty in speaking, and numbness in face and arm is very characteristic of intracranial pathology, likely a vascular etiology. She must be examined by a neurologist and must undergo a brain imaging like MRI of the brain at the earliest. Please take her to a neurologist immediately for a physical examination. This appears to be a neurological emergency. I can confidently say that viral sinusitis is not the cause of the symptoms here.

Please be in follow up and keep me updated about the clinical developments. Please write a review, as it would be of help to me.