Intracranial Hypertension in Children: Etiologies, Clinical Features, and Outcome

• Published in: Journal of child neurology Vol. 30; no. 12; p. 1562
• Main Authors: Masri, Amira, Jaafar, Amani, Noman, Rasha, Gharaibeh, Almutez, Ababneh, Osama H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2015
• Subjects: Child; Child, Preschool; Comorbidity; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Intracranial Hypertension - epidemiology; Intracranial Hypertension - etiology; Intracranial Hypertension - physiopathology; Intracranial Hypertension - therapy; Male; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; papilledema; benign intracranial hypertension; pseudotumor cerebri; cerebrospinal fluid pressure
• ISSN: 1708-8283
• DOI: 10.1177/0883073815574332

This retrospective study aimed to describe the clinical presentations, possible causes, and outcomes of children with idiopathic intracranial hypertension who presented to the authors' clinic. The mean age at onset of symptoms in the authors' cohort of 19 children was 6 years (range: 7 months to 12 years). Most patients (90%) were under 11 years old and (84.2%) symptomatic. The probable cause was identified in 7/19 (37.0%) patients. The most common cause was vitamin D deficiency (26.3%). Other associated probably coincidental comorbidities included sinusitis (5/19, 26.3%), hypophosphatasia (1/19), Pyle disease (1/19), and measles vaccine (1/19). Apart from 2 patients who required lumboperitoneal shunt, the cerebrospinal fluid pressure returned to normal in all patients within a period of 6 weeks to 1 year (average, 5 months). Of those who followed up with the authors' ophthalmologist, 30.7% developed optic atrophy or pallor; 75% of these patients had previous ocular comorbidities.