A brain tumor that was first mistaken for a stroke
Original title: Glioblastoma Masquerading as a Presumed Ischemic Stroke: A Case of Delusional Jealousy and Fluctuating Psychosis.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report on one patient, not a new treatment.
The short version
Doctors thought this man had a stroke and a mental illness. He had a brain tumor.
What was studied. This is a report on one patient, a 64-year-old man who had long had trouble with alcohol. Doctors wrote up how his brain tumor was finally found.
What they found. He was treated for a stroke and had new seizures. Four days after he went home, he could not sleep and believed his wife was cheating. A CT scan of his head looked normal, and his thinking got worse over 14 days even with stronger medicine. An MRI scan then found a brain tumor, a grade 4 glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. He had surgery to remove part of it and died five months later.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: New or worsening confusion and fixed false beliefs can have a physical cause. A normal CT scan does not rule out this kind of brain tumor. If symptoms keep getting worse, it is fair to ask the doctor about an MRI.
What it doesn't mean: This is one person's story, not a study of many people. It does not test any new treatment, and it offers no cure. Most people with these symptoms do not have a brain tumor. On its own, one case does not change how care is given.
Source: PubMed, September 4, 2026 · Read the original
This plain-language summary was written by AI and published automatically after passing our automatic safety checks. How we write.