Idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Members

Rigmor Jensen, Maren Skau, Hanne Yri.

Background
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is an intriguing, clinical condition of increased intracranial pressure without pathological, laboratory or radiological evidence of intracranial pathology in young, obese individuals. The clinical symptoms are severe headache, pulsatile tinnitus, transitory visual obscurations and diplopia. Demographic studies report a rapidly increasing incidence of IIH in obese young females and with the global epidemic increase of obesity a significant increase in the number of IIH patients in Denmark can be predicted.

Severe obesity is closely related to a number of neuroendocrinological changes which has still not been evaluated in IIH. Untreated IIH may lead to severe visual loss and blindness resulting from damage to the optic nerve. The mechanism whereby IIH leads to optic nerve dysfunction is poorly understood but it seems to be closely linked to oedema of the optic nerve head and the associated elevation of hydrostatic pressure inside the optic nerve. 

A PhD study from this group described the diagnostic value of new and atraumatic OCTexaminations and a new biomarker was identified. A new multidisciplinary follow-up study of IIH comprising neurobiological and ophthalmological aspects is a unique study of still unsolved aspects in IIH.

Current projects

Long term follow-up of patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension, ophthalmological and neurobiological aspects. Biomarkers in Idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Experimental models of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Collaboration
Dan Milea, Department of Ophthalmology, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark. Jens Peter Gøtze and Jens Rehfeld, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, National Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Marianne Juhler, Department of neurosurgery, National Hospital, Denmark.