Causes

• Acute IH is due to a serious head injury or internal bleeding resulting from an aneurysm or stroke. The pressure rises very rapidly and can be fatal without proper treatment.
  
  Chronic IH is considered a neurological disorder in which the CSF builds up and remains high over time. If you have idiopathic IH, doctors cannot determine a cause for your condition. Research suggests being overweight might contribute to idiopathic IH but this relationship is still being investigated. Secondary IH can be linked to several things. You can experience secondary IH if you have a stroke, blood clot, or liver or kidney failure. Certain medications are linked to secondary IH and include some antibiotics, Accutane, Lithium, Norplant and certain steroid and hormone treatments. Infectious diseases like meningitis and HIV are also possible causes.
  
  

Symptoms

• The hallmark symptoms of intracranial hypertension syndrome are severe headache, visual changes which are the result of a swollen optic nerve and a whooshing sound in the ears that occurs in rhythm with your pulse. Though these are the most prevalent symptoms, you might not experience all three simultaneously.
  
  IH can also impact other areas of the body besides the head. The most commonly seen symptoms are pain in the arms, legs and back, stiff neck, trouble balancing, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, numbness, tingling, nausea, and spinal fluid leaking from the nose.
  
  

Diagnosis

• A spinal tap or lumbar puncture is the primary testing method for intracranial hypertension syndrome. This procedure measures the pressure of the CSF.
  
  If the spinal tap determines you have IH, your doctor will then work to find out the cause. In order to diagnose idiopathic IH, your doctor will use the Modified Dandy Criteria for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. This official criteria offers the doctor a guideline for ruling out other conditions to determine an appropriate diagnosis.
  
  Secondary IH is diagnosed by getting your history and determining if anything in it points to causing IH, like certain medications or pre-existing conditions.
  
  

Medications

• You doctor may prescribe carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. This medication interferes with CSF production, which lowers intracranial pressure. Common drugs include Diamox, Neptazane, Lasis and Topamax. If successful, these treatments can eliminate the need for surgery.
  
  Pain is common in IH, especially headaches. In addition to the carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, your doctor might prescribe tricyclic antidepressants, beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers. Prescription pain killers are sometimes used; they are usually not effective on this type of headache but can lessen its intensity.
  
  

Surgery

• If your optic nerve is swelling, a procedure called optic nerve fenestration can relieve the pressure. This procedure is usually done to preserve your vision rather than relieve headaches.
  
  Neurosurgical shunts aim to relieve optic nerve swelling and preserve your vision. They can also be used to treat headaches. These shunts drain CSF into another part of the body, which relieves intracranial pressure.