brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Causes of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
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. In these people, blood drains from the brain more slowly, causing a back-up of blood, which increases pressure in the brain and/or within the skull. 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 Tetracyclines or large amounts of 