New horizons for idiopathic intracranial hypertension: advances and challenges

Introduction: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is becoming a recognized condition due to the increasing incidence linked to a global obesity epidemic. Sources of data: All English papers on PubMed, Cochrane and Scholar between inception until 1 March 2020 were considered. Areas of agreement: Studies suggest central adiposity has a pathogenic role. Recent weight gain is a risk factor and weight loss has a key role in management. Areas of controversy: Interpretation of abnormal lumbar puncture opening pressure is debated. There is an increasing recognition of obesity stigma and how this should be approached. Growing points: Further evidence is required for the choice of surgical intervention for fulminant IIH. Education regarding IIH should be evidence based. Areas timely for developing research: Novel research of the pathology of IIH is influencing development of therapies such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and targeting unique androgen signatures. The newly discovered cardiovascular risk requires further attention.

Citation

Mollan, S. P., Grech, O., Alimajstorovic, Z., Wakerley, B. R., & Sinclair, A. J. (2020). New horizons for idiopathic intracranial hypertension: advances and challenges. British medical bulletin, 136(1), 118–126. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldaa034

DOI

10.1093/bmb/ldaa034

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14709/971