The Relationship Between Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and Obesity

Abstract

Chronic tension-type headache patients may be prone to have Pcsf > 200 mm water and BMI > 25. Papilledema because of intracranial hypertension occurred in the present study at Pcsf > 350 mm water. The findings of Pvfc and Pcsf being similar in all CTTH patients support the suggestion that the techniques used for measuring intracranial venous pressure are adequate. The findings of similar BMI in the CTTH and the IIH patients who differed significantly as to Pcsf refute the hypothesis that obesity precedes, and is the cause of, intracranial hypertension in IIH. The difference between Pcsf and Pvfc in 6 of the IIH patients also does not support such a hypothesis but may indicate that IIH is due to deficient intracranial cerebrospinal fluid absorption. Since a relationship between intracranial hypertension and obesity is established and obesity is not found to cause intracranial hypertension in IIH, intracranial hypertension may be suggested to be the primary cause of weight increase in IIH. Obesity, however, may secondarily increase the preexistent IIH.

Pseudotumor Cerebri: Brief Review of Clinical Syndrome and Imaging Findings

“…37 Still another divergent explanation for obesity in PTC is that intracranial hypertension leads to hyperphagia; according to this theory, obesity is the result rather than the proximal cause of PTC. 38 However, if PTC was the cause of obesity, one would expect more women to present with symptoms of increased ICP before weight gain under this theory. Thus, while obesity is long-established as a substantial risk factor for the development of PTC in women, it is uncertain whether the exact mechanism of this increased risk is related to a prothrombotic state, enhanced estrogenicity, inflammatory cytokine expression, endocrinologic dysfunction, or some other yet-to-be-ascertained mechanism.…”

Inflammatory and haemostatic markers in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

“…Obese patients have been reported to display signs of low-grade inflammation [1,4] and haemostatic changes [5][6][7]. Such markers have not been much examined in IIH.…”

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Many obese patients share with patients suffering from idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) increased intracranial pressure [1] and weight increase [2,3]. Obese patients have been reported to display signs of low-grade inflammation [1,4] and haemostatic changes [5][6][7].

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“…As low-grade systemic inflammation in IIH may escape detection if normal values of inflammation markers were used for comparison to the findings in IIH patients, only a well-defined group of healthy, age-and sex-matched persons could be used as controls. The controls had to have BMI below 25, as some, but not all [10], overweight and obese patients display intracranial hypertension, signs of inflammation and haemostatic abnormalities and consequently could not be used for comparison [1,[5][6][7].The laboratory tests performed were considered to best reflect the presence of signs of inflammation and coagulopathies. Inflammation markers were fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP) haptoglobin, orosomucoid, immunoglobulins G and M earlier found to be increased in overweight and obese patients [1,4].…”

“…The controls had to have BMI below 25, as some, but not all [10], overweight and obese patients display intracranial hypertension, signs of inflammation and haemostatic abnormalities and consequently could not be used for comparison [1,[5][6][7].…”