Your brain is a very delicate organ that is protected by a surrounding layer of fluid known as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF prevents your brain from from hitting your skull and causing damage. Intracranial hypertension (IH), also known as pseudotumor cerebri, is a condition of increased pressure from too much CSF around the brain. The cause of IH is unknown; however, it results from either an overproduction of CSF or a problem with drainage of CSF. IH has been found to be the most common in obese women of childbearing age, according to the Mayo Clinic. When the pressure of CSF is too high, significant symptoms occur.
Headaches
Headaches are common symptoms associated with many diseases. With IH, headaches are usually the first symptom noticed, and the most common. Although it may be difficult to determine the cause of a headache, a 2007 article in "Current Pain and Headache Reports" states that headaches caused by IH may be associated with ringing in the ears that pulses with your heartbeat, vision changes, and neck pain that moves into the arms.
Vision Changes
According to the Mayo Clinic, significant vision changes can occur with IH. This includes blurry or dimmed vision, difficulty looking to the side, brief episodes of blindness and double vision. Your eye doctor will specifically look for swelling in your eye that can help confirm the diagnosis of IH.
Other Symptoms
In addition to headache and vision changes, you may experience nausea, vomiting and dizziness, according to the Mayo Clinic.
