What is subdural hematoma? Symptoms explored as 'Dragon Ball' manga series creator Akira Toriyama passes away at 68

On Friday, March 8 the official X handle of the popular manga and anime series Dragon Ball announced that the legendary creator of the manga series, Akira Toriyama had passed away on Friday, March 1, 2024, at the age of 68. According to the statement, Toriyama passed away due to acute subdural hematoma. A plethora of tributes flooded social media as fans paid their respects to Toriyama.

A subdural hematoma is a type of bleeding that occurs near the brain, predominantly the consequence of a serious head injury. Some of the symptoms of the ailment include slurred speech, nausea, and chronic headaches among other things. The frequency of these symptoms depends on the severity of the head injury.

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Akira Toriyama passed away due to acute subdural hematoma

According to the official statement on the Dragon Ball X handle, the reason for the legendary Akira Toriyama's passing was an acute subdural hematoma. Medline Plus described it as the "deadliest of all head injuries". It is a type of TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury.

As per the Cleveland Clinic, three layers of tissue protect the human brain called the meninges. The outermost layer closest to the skull is the dura matter. When a head injury leads to a tear in a blood vessel, blood starts accumulating under the dura matter and above the second layer called the arachnoid mater.

Bleeding in this area is called a subdural hemorrhage. The accumulation of blood in this area is known as subdural hematoma. The severity of symptoms in an individual with a subdural hematoma varies based on the kind of hemorrhage they have.

The Cleveland Clinic states that there are three types of subdural hematomas- acute, subacute, and chronic. The most dangerous one is the acute subdural hematoma, the very same one that led to the passing of Akira Toriyama. Here, brain pressure increases rapidly and severe symptoms occur almost immediately within minutes or hours. Lack of quick diagnosis can lead to paralysis, loss of consciousness, or even death.

For those experiencing subacute subdural hematoma, symptoms may take hours, days, or weeks, and can start with concussions. The symptoms of Chronic subdural hematoma may take weeks or even months. This is more prevalent among those over 65 years of age and can be caused due to small head injuries.

As per the Cleveland Clinic, the symptoms of subdural hematoma are chronic headaches, dizziness, walking difficulties, dysarthria, vision changes, nausea, vomiting, one side of the body getting weak, and slurred speech. People with Chronic subdural hematoma may also exhibit personality changes, memory loss, and disorientation.

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Bird Studio's statement on Akira Toriyama's passing

Akira Toriyama's Bird Studio released a March 8 statement on X that confirmed the passing of the legendary creator of the extremely popular Dragon Ball manga. The statement read:

"Dear Friends and Partners, We are deeply saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma. He was in age of 68."

The statement expressed regret about the fact him not being able to complete a few projects that he was enthusiastically working on and lamented that he would have had a lot more to achieve. The statement continued:

"However, he had left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years. We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come."

The statement also revealed that a service was held with Toriyama's family and a few of his relatives. It also asked people to refrain from interviewing his family and sending any sort of condolence offerings. Plans for a commemorative gathering were not finalized yet.

Akira Toriyama's passing resulted in a plethora of tributes filling the internet as many thanked the legendary Japanese manga artist for childhood memories and even for being the man who introduced them to anime.