Benign intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri is hypertension caused by increased pressure within the brain in the absence of a tumor.
Although it is also called Primary or Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), it does not mean that it is not serious. It is painful disorder of body which leads to complete or full loss of eyesight.
Its symptoms are: headache, nausea, vomiting, pulsating intracranial noises, singing in the ears, double vision, loss of visual accuracy, and even blindness.
The main symptom is a terrible painful headache which can be eased with a lumbar puncture, or spinal tap. People can think by mistake that they have migraine.
The another symptom is problems with vision especially on movement, it is connected with intracranial noise. Other symptoms are stiff neck, back pain, double vision, pain behind the eyes and exercise intolerance. Such kind of hypertension is found among women from 20 to 50 years.
The cause of its appearance is unknown. It may be caused by such medicines as tetracycline, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, phenytoin, lithium, and amiodarone, and the use of vitamin A in a large amount.
To reduce and to remove extra cerebrospinal fluid certain drugs are used. Frequent spinal taps, lumbar puncture, shunting or surgery are also helpful. Steroids are used for the reduction of swelling of brain tissue.
This kind of hypertension is very painful and may lead to loss of vision or blindness.
There are Primary or Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and Secondary Intracranial Hypertension.
Primary Hypertension appears with any cause known spontaneously. Such kind of hypertension causes the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid on the brain; it raises, under its pressure the nerves swell, causing the loss of vision and blindness.
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension affects overweight women of childbearing age.
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) is often difficult to diagnose because it is a disease of "absence." There is no brain tumor, trauma or causative signs found on a brain scan, no abnormalities of the CSF and no localizing findings on neurological examination.
This very lack of obvious medical clues is what distinguishes IIH. And it's further complicated by the fact that an individual patient may not exhibit all the telltale symptoms, like tinnitus or papilledema.
IIH affects overweight young women of age suitable for the birth of children. It is recommended for people who suffer from IIH to lose weight, it helps to increase papilledema.
Secondary Intracranial Hypertension and Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension are diagnosed by spinal taps and eye examinations.
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