Intracranial hypertension what is

The rate of IIH prevalence in various ethnic and racial groups correlates directly to the rate of obesity in those groups. The mean age of diagnosis is about 30 years; however, it may occur in all age groups and in patients of all body types.

Headache is present in nearly all patients with IIH and is the usual symptom for which patients seek medical attention. The headaches of the IIH patient are usually severe and daily and are often throbbing. Pulsatile intracranial noises or pulse-synchronous tinnitus ringing in the ears are also common in IIH. The sound is often only experienced on one side.

Papilledema, which is optic disc swelling due to increased intracranial pressure, is the cardinal sign of IIH and is either directly or indirectly responsible for visual loss in IIH. The optic disc is the spot where the optic nerve enters the eyeball. Papilledema can cause transient visual obscurations, which are episodes of blurred vision that usually last less than 30 seconds and are followed by visual recovery to baseline.

While these episodes are anxiety-provoking for the patient, they do not appear to be associated with poor visual outcome. If papilledema is left untreated it can lead to visual loss, first in the periphery, then progressively toward the center of vision.

Longstanding papilledema leads to optic atrophy, in which the disc looks pale due to lack of blood flow and visual loss is advanced. Increased pressure may also lead to compression of the cranial nerves, a group of nerves that arise from the brain stem and supply the face and neck. It can happen suddenly, for example, as the result of a severe head injury , stroke or brain abscess. This is known as acute IH. It can also be a persistent, long-lasting problem, known as chronic IH.

This is rare and sometimes it's not clear why it happens. Chronic IH can sometimes result in permanent vision loss , although treatment can help to reduce the chances of this happening. Rare causes include a blockage in the circulation of fluid at the bottom of the skull Chiari malformation , inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain vasculitis and abnormal skull growth in children craniosynostosis.

In many cases, the cause of chronic IH is unclear. This is known as idiopathic IH, or sometimes benign IH. A GP may suspect you have intracranial hypertension IH if you have symptoms of increased pressure on your brain, such as vision problems and headaches. Idiopathic IH may be diagnosed if you have increased pressure on your brain and no other cause can be found.

These procedures can provide relief from your symptoms, but they also carry a risk of potentially serious complications. Talk to the surgeon about what your operation involves and what the risks are.

For people who are overweight or obese and have IIH, weight loss is usually the first treatment. Losing about 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help lessen your symptoms — for example, if you weigh pounds, that means losing about 10 to 20 pounds.

Talk with your doctor about safe, sustainable ways to lose weight. Your doctor may recommend a medicine called acetazolamide Diamox in addition to weight loss. This medicine helps your body make less CSF. In shunt surgery, doctors make a small hole and add a thin tube, called a shunt, to help extra fluid drain from around your brain into the rest of your body. There is also an eye surgery where doctors make a small hole in the covering around the optic nerve.

This trial helped to prove that acetazolamide, along with a weight loss plan, can help to restore some vision in people with IIH. It also helped create clear guidelines for doctors on how to prescribe acetazolamide for patients with IIH. Search the site. Print this Page. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. On this page:. At a glance: Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Symptoms:.