Pseudotumor cerebri in childhood and adolescence: data from a specialized service

Abstract

Objective: To report cases of children and adolescents diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri associated or not with rheumatic disease. Methods: This was a retrospective study based on medical reports of 29 patients, up to 18 years of age and diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri, followed up in the Pediatric Rheumatology and Neurology outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital, until December 2016. Results: Among the 29 patients diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri, 51.7% were girls and the mean age at the disease onset was 12.3 years. In 18 patients (62%) where an etiology was found, four were associated with a rheumatic disease. The most common symptom was headache (69%) and acetazolamide was the most used medication (69%). Two patients developed blindness and 10 are still being followed up. Conclusion: Although rare, pseudotumor cerebri should be considered in children with headaches, especially in patients with rheumatic disease.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children and adolescents in southern Brazil

“…In our study, we found a higher prevalence of primary pseudotumor, that is, idiopathic intracranial hypertension in 28 patients (93.3%). There was a predominance of females in different age groups, which corroborates the literature (Balbi et al, 2018;Phillips, 2012).…”

“…The mean age for diagnosis and onset of IIH was lower than that found in other studies, IIH (n=28) was 9 years old and the youngest patient was one year old (Cleves, 2018;Balbi, 2018;Philips, 2012;Medina et al, 2014). As it is a pediatric reference center, there may have been an early referral, in addition to greater ease and agility in performing specific exams.…”

“…The pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS) is a condition that presents a series of symptoms and signs that reflects in the increase of intracranial pressure with normal brain parenchyma, and this cannot be attributed to a lesion such as, ventriculomegaly, malignancy or infection (Cleves-Bayon, 2018). In pediatric studies the incidence of PTCS is estimated at 0.6 -0.71/100,000 (Balbi et al, 2018;Mollan, 2018;Tovia et al, 2017).…”

“…When there is an identifiable secondary cause such as drugs (hypervitaminosis A, tetracycline, retinoic acid), endocrine-metabolic diseases (thyroid diseases, hyperparathyroidism), autoimmune syndromes and diseases, and venous abnormalities [1][2][3]6], it is characterized as secondary intracranial hypertension (Cleves-Bayon, 2018;Balbi et al, 2018;Mollan, 2018;Tovia et al, 2017). In cases where PTCS does not have a known etiology, it is called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).…”

A Rare Case Report of Benign Intracranial Hypertension Caused by Hypervitaminosis A

“…It is an uncommon condition affecting one in 100,000-150,000 children [ 3 ]. About 60% of children who present the syndrome are older than 10 years, and the frequency rises between the ages of 12 and 15 [ 4 ].…”