Hello,
Your symptoms would not be explained by
cerebral atrophy. It's hard for me to say what "mild cerebral atrophy" means without actually being able to see the images for myself. That being said, a small amount of atrophy (brain shrinkage) occurs with normal aging, and I'm suspecting that that is what the
radiologist saw. As such it would not explain your symptoms.
If you did not have a head impact a
subdural hematoma is unlikely and typically would also cause other focal neurological symptoms such as weakness,
headaches, numbness and tingling, possibly loss of coordination depending on where it is located. Headaches are very nonspecific and unless you have never had headaches before, or the type of headache you have had has changed in quality, it does not warrant re-imaging. However, if it has markedly changes or it is a new onset headache, then an MRI should be done.
For the fatigue, I would recommend a full blood workup for
vitamin B12, folate, TSH, CMP and CBC with differential to start to look for any blood abnormalities. If all are negative, then a cortisol test is reasonable. If your sleep hasn't is not evaluate, that should also be done. As we age
obstructive sleep apnea becomes more common and can cause very nonspecific symptoms of fatigue and headaches due to poor sleep quality. If you are experiencing any symptoms of
depression and anxiety, those should also be manages as they can result in non-specific fatigue.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Janne Nissinen, Neurologist