Meningiomas in the UAE

Meningiomas are rare, slow-growing brain tumours that start in the meninges, the thin layers of tissue located between the skull and the brain. Dr Karim Ben Hamouda, a specialist neurosurgeon at the Neuro Spinal Hospital in Dubai, says about 200 people in the UAE are diagnosed with meningiomas every year. They occur twice as frequently in women as men, and usually affect people in their 40s and 50s. “Between 15 and 20 per cent of all brain tumours are meningiomas, and about 95 per cent of meningiomas are benign,” says Dr Hamouda. “Their symptoms depend on the size of the tumour and its location within the brain.” Symptoms include co-ordination or vision problems, seizures, weakness in the arm and legs, headaches and sleepiness. Most tumours are removed by surgery. In more complicated cases radiosurgery – a localised radiotherapy – is used. www.nshdubai.com