Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is characterized by increased pressure within the skull intracranial pressure. What triggers the disorder is unknown.
People have daily or near daily headaches, sometimes with nausea, blurred or double vision, and noises within the head tinnitus. Imaging of the head is done to rule out possible causes of increased pressure, and a spinal tap is done. Weight loss, diuretics to reduce fluids in the brain, and spinal taps done periodically to reduce the pressure can help, but surgery is sometimes needed.
See also Overview of Headache Overview of Headache A headache is pain in any part of the head, including the scalp, upper neck, face, and interior of the head.
Headaches are one of the most common reasons people visit a doctor. Headaches interfere Idiopathic intracranial hypertension occurs in only about 1 of , people, usually in women during their reproductive years. However, among young overweight women, it is 20 times more common. As more and more people are becoming overweight, the disorder is becoming more common. What causes pressure within the skull to increase is unknown.
However, certain people are more susceptible to idiopathic intracranial hypertension because the large veins venous sinuses that help drain blood from their brain are smaller than in most people. Exactly how being overweight contributes to increased pressure within the skull is unknown. But excess fat in the abdomen may increase pressure in the chest, and blood may not flow from the head to the chest as it normally does.
Thus, pressure within the skull may increase. In idiopathic intracranial hypertension, the increased pressure does not result from other identifiable disorders, such as tumors, infections, blood clots, or blockages that prevent the fluid that surrounds the brain cerebrospinal fluid from draining as it normally does. In most people, the development of idiopathic intracranial hypertension cannot be traced to any particular event.
In children, this disorder sometimes develops after corticosteroids are stopped or after growth hormone is used. Sometimes the disorder develops after people take tetracycline antibiotics Tetracyclines Tetracyclines are a group of antibiotics used to treat many different bacterial infections.
Tetracyclines include the following: Doxycycline Eravacycline Minocycline read more or large amounts of vitamin A.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension usually begins with a daily or almost daily headache, which affects both sides of the head. At first, the headache may be mild, but it varies in intensity and may become severe. The headache may be accompanied by nausea, double or blurred vision, and noises within the head that occur with each beat of the pulse called pulsatile tinnitus Ear Ringing or Buzzing Ringing in the ears tinnitus is noise originating in the ear rather than in the environment.
It is a symptom and not a specific disease. A few people do not have any symptoms. Increased pressure within the skull may cause the optic nerve to swell near the eyeball—a condition called papilledema Papilledema Papilledema is a condition in which increased pressure in or around the brain causes the part of the optic nerve inside the eye to swell. Symptoms may be fleeting disturbances in vision, headache Doctors can observe the swelling by looking at the back of the eye through an ophthalmoscope Ophthalmoscopy A person who has eye symptoms should be checked by a doctor.
However, some eye disorders cause few or no symptoms in their early stages, so the eyes should be checked regularly every 1 to The first sign of vision problems is loss of peripheral side vision.
People may not notice this loss at first. As a result, people may bump into objects for no apparent reason. Vision may be blurred briefly, sometimes triggered by changing position, and blurring may come and go.
Late in the disorder, vision is blurred, and people may quickly become blind. But if too much fluid is produced or not enough is re-absorbed, the CSF can build up and cause pressure within the skull, which is an enclosed space.
This pressure can cause symptoms similar to those of a brain tumor, including worsening headache and vision problems.
Untreated pseudotumor cerebri can result in permanent problems such as vision loss. Since exertion can increase pressure inside the skull, symptoms can become worse with exercise or physical activity. Pseudotumor cerebri symptoms may resemble those of many other medical problems.
Always consult an experienced specialist for a diagnosis. Headaches associated with this disorder may vary from person to person. Often, pseudotumor cerebri headaches often occur at the back of the head and start as a dull pain, which tends to be worse at night or first thing in the morning.
Common headaches such as migraine or tension headaches can coexist with pseudotumor cerebri, which can complicate the diagnosis. Doctors are likely to diagnose these frequently seen disorders until a more detailed examination or further testing reveals PTC.
Vision problems in pseudotumor cerebri evolve slowly over time, with temporary episodes of visual blurring that can start in the peripheral field of vision. If the pressure continues to build up, the nerves affecting eye movement can also be affected causing double vision.
The individual may not even notice until later in the clinical course of the disorder when the central field of vision is involved and the symptoms become constant. At this point there is a growing risk of blindness. Although experts don't know why this condition develops, here are other conditions that are commonly seen in people with the disorder:. Female sex : Women are nine times more likely to have pseudotumor cerebri than men. The role of hormones is not understood.
Excess weight : Body weight is the most significant preventable pseudotumor cerebri risk factor, although thin people can develop the disorder. Certain medications : Use of lithium, tetracyclines, certain steroids and vitamin A derivatives may predispose people to pseudotumor cerebri. Blood vessel irregularities : Some people are born with a narrowing of the vein that drains blood and CSF from the brain, resulting in increased pressure.
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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension IIH is a medical condition that results from increased spinal fluid pressure around the brain, in the absence of a tumor or other brain disorder.
It is formerly known as pseudotumor cerebri. IIH is most common in women who are obese and in their childbearing years. Headache and vision changes are the classic symptoms seen in IIH. On an eye examination, healthcare providers will see papilledema, a condition characterized by optic disc swelling of the eye due to increased pressure in the brain.
It is diagnosed by a healthcare provider during an ophthalmoscopic examination. Other common but not exclusive symptoms seen in patients with IIH include:. A headache from IIH can mimic that of a migraine or tension-type headache , making the diagnosis tricky. Plus, there is not one specific "type of headache" that people with IIH have.
That being said a classic IIH headache is severe and throbbing, like a migraine.
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