Can you have intracranial hypertension without headache?
Although headache is the most common symptom associated with IIH, occasionally, it may not be observed clinically. This situation is more frequently observed in males, young adults, children, and in patients with low body mass index.
With treatment, in most cases, this condition goes away. However, increased pressure can return months or even years later. You can reduce this risk by helping your child maintain a healthy weight. It is important to have regular eye exams to check for vision loss even after the intracranial hypertension gets better.
Opening pressure of 25 cm or more cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and otherwise normal CSF confirms the diagnosis of IIH. There is a “gray zone” from 25 to 30 cm CSF that may be a normal opening pressure for some but pathologic for others, making the clinical history and other diagnostic criteria exceedingly important.
Symptoms of intracranial hypertension
temporary loss of vision – your vision may become dark or "greyed out" for a few seconds at a time; this can be triggered by coughing, sneezing or bending down. feeling and being sick. feeling sleepy. feeling irritable.
Clinical suspicion for intracranial hypertension should be raised if a patient presents with the following signs and symptoms: headaches, vomiting, and altered mental status varying from drowsiness to coma.
You may need these tests: Brain imaging such as MRI or CT scans. Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to withdraw a sample of fluid from around the spine for testing pressure.
What does it mean when your head feels weird? There are many possible reasons why a person's head may feel weird. Injuries to the head , occipital neuralgia , and stroke can all cause a tingling sensation on the head or scalp, which may feel weird or unusual.
These are the most common symptoms of an ICP: Headache. Blurred vision. Feeling less alert than usual.
Most conditions that result in head pressure aren't cause for alarm. Common ones include tension headaches, migraine, conditions that affect the sinuses, and ear infections. Abnormal or severe head pressure is sometimes a sign of a serious medical condition, such as a brain tumor or aneurysm.
Pressures in the skull are higher when patients are lying down than when sitting or standing, and there is strong evidence that this difference between pressures when lying and sitting is higher in patients with a working shunt, and lower in patients without a shunt.
What is the best sleep position for intracranial pressure?
In most patients with intracranial hypertension, head and trunk elevation up to 30 degrees is useful in helping to decrease ICP, providing that a safe CPP of at least 70 mmHg or even 80 mmHg is maintained. Patients in poor haemodynamic conditions are best nursed flat.
IIH patients frequently display chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline and lowered quality of life [[20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26]].
The most common features are headache and visual disturbance. Headaches are often described as frontal, throbbing, worse with supine posture, bending over, coughing/straining. The visual disturbances they get is often transient visual loss, blurred vision, or seeing double. Papilloedema will invariably be present.
The symptoms of increased intracranial pressure are headache, pulse synchronous tinnitus (pulsatile tinnitus), transient visual obscurations and visual loss. Signs are diplopia due to sixth cranial nerve paresis and papilledema with its associated loss of sensory visual function.
Incidental finding of nonspecific anomalies such as empty sella, dilation of the optic nerve sheath, or anomalies of one or both transverse venous sinuses often leads to an overdiagnosis of IIH and resultant excessive tests, including lumbar punctures.
When should you go to the ER with intracranial hypertension? You should visit the emergency room (ER) with IH if your headache becomes severe. There are treatments available that may help, such as a lumbar puncture. You should also go to the ER if you have worsening vision issues.
- Lose Weight. One of the first things your doctor is likely to suggest upon diagnosis is weight loss. ...
- Apply Ice or Heat. ...
- Take a Shower. ...
- Change Your Position. ...
- Drink Dandelion Tea. ...
- Change Your Diet. ...
- Get Moving. ...
- Relax.
Oxidative stress is an important pathophysiological mechanism that causes intracranial hypertension, rendering oxidative stress as a potential target for the treatment of intracranial hypertension.
Intracranial hypertension can put pressure on your optic nerve. Symptoms often include severe headaches, blurred vision, blind spots or vision loss. If you have IIH, treatment might include weight loss, medications or surgery.
Patients should also generally avoid foods that are high in vitamin A or tyramine. You may need to limit the consumption of certain vegetables like leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. Preserved and smoked foods like pepperoni, pickles, aged cheese, salami, beer, and wine should be avoided.
What are the two ways to monitor intracranial pressure?
Intracranial pressure is measured in two ways. One way is to place a small, hollow tube (catheter) into the fluid-filled space in the brain (ventricle). Other times, a small, hollow device (bolt) is placed through the skull into the space just between the skull and the brain.
Some common reasons for feeling dizzy include migraine episodes, low blood pressure, motion sickness, and stress.
When earwax builds up, it can block the opening of the ear canal, making it hard to breathe through the nose. As a result, the pressure inside the head increases, which can trigger headaches. In addition, when earwax builds up in the ear canal, it can irritate the lining of the eardrum, which can cause pain.
This feeling can also be accompanied by a “dizzy” or “lightheaded” feeling. It feels like the brain is suddenly flushed with adrenaline or cortisol, and that makes the head feel pressurized. It feels like the “brain” has been flushed with hot fluid, causing the brain to feel “hot,” “tingly,” or flushed feeling.
- Positional headache, which worsens when you sit up and improves when you lie down.
- Sensitivity to light or sound.
- Nausea, with or without vomiting.
- Neck pain or stiffness.
- Hearing changes, such as muffled hearing or ringing in the ears.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Double vision.
- Dizziness.
References
- https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/brain-surges-anxiety/
- https://practicalneurology.com/articles/2020-may/idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9774559/
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/increased-intracranial-pressure-icp-headache
- https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/i/pseudotumor-cerebri.html
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325969
- https://www.healthline.com/health/intracranial-hypertension
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21968-idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303846719303233
- https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/application-summaries/research-summaries/intra-cranial-pressure-changes-between-supine-and-upright/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/pressure-in-head
- https://www.dramanambu.com/what-to-avoid-when-dealing-with-intracranial-hypertension
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4776085/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908600/
- https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/brain-and-nerves/encephalitis/diagnosis/intracranial-pressure-monitoring.html
- https://weatherinapril.com/natural-remedies-for-intracranial-hypertension/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9750713/
- https://www.barrowneuro.org/condition/intracranial-hypotension/
- https://www.paediatricfoam.com/2020/11/idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension-bih/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/head-pressure-and-dizziness
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/intracranial-hypertension/
- https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/intracranial-hypertension-pseudotumor-cerebri
- https://www.wellingearwaxclinic.co.uk/can-blocked-ear-wax-cause-headaches/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482119/