Intracranial hypertensia

VChD (intracranial pressure) reflects the size of pressure of intracerebral liquid upon a brain. In the course of adaptation to the changing environment conditions this indicator can both increase, and to decrease. If VChD is steadily raised for a long time, then speak about a syndrome of intracranial hypertensia.

Reasons of intracranial hypertensia

Not all reasons causing this syndrome are obvious therefore before treatment careful diagnosis and inspection of the patient are necessary.

Most often the syndrome of intracranial hypertensia arises in the following situations:

• Long air hunger;
• Disturbance of outflow of a venous blood from a head cavity;
• Infectious damages of a brain and its covers (encephalitis, meningitis);
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases;
• Heart failure;
• Craniocereberal injuries;
• Hydrocephaly;
• Intracranial tumor;
• Abscesses;
• Hematomas.

Quite often symptoms of intracranial hypertensia appear at children. In this case the reasons can become:

• Inborn defects;
• Prematurity;
• Long pre-natal hypoxia;
• Pathologies of pregnancy and childbirth;
• Pre-natal and neuroinfections.

Symptoms of intracranial hypertensia

At adults and children symptoms of intracranial hypertensia are various. At newborns it is shown by plentiful vomiting which does not depend on meal, frequent and long crying, lag in development (later begin to sit and creep, uncertainly hold a head etc.).

Indirect signs are too convex forehead or protrusion of a fontanel at the kid. The symptom "setting the sun" at which eyeballs are rolled up down to such degree that the thin white strip of a sclera from above is visible is characteristic of children with the raised VChD.

At teenagers and children of the advanced preschool and younger school age symptoms of intracranial hypertensia are:

• Sensitivity, tearfulness, drowsiness;
• Heartbeat;
• The increased arterial pressure;
• Flashes before eyes, squint;
• Spasms and nausea;
• Night and morning headache;
• Shadows under the eyes;
• Pain behind eye-sockets.

Symptoms of intracranial hypertensia at adults are similar to a picture of a course of a disease at teenagers. Except the listed signs it is also possible to note decrease in sexual function at men and a libido at women, meteosensitivity, the increased nervousness and bystry fatigue.

Benign Intracranial Hypertensia (BIH)

It is one of versions VChD which can be carried to a temporary phenomenon which is caused by a number of adverse factors. The condition of benign intracranial hypertensia is reversible and does not constitute serious danger as in this case squeezing of a brain happens not because of influence of any foreign body. The following factors can cause DVG:

• Hypovitaminosis;
• Obesity;
• Pregnancy;
• Hyperparathyreosis;
• Failures in a menstrual cycle;
• Cancellation of some drugs;
• Vitamin A overdose, etc.

Benign intracranial hypertensia is connected with disturbance of absorption or outflow of cerebrospinal liquid. Patients complain of the headaches amplifying at the movement, and sometimes even during the sneezing or cough. The main difference of a disease from classical hypertensia of a brain is that at the patient no signs of oppression of consciousness are observed, and the state has no effects and does not demand special treatment.

Diagnosis

For statement of a syndrome of intracranial hypertensia it is necessary to determine pressure in a skull. For this purpose into the canal of a backbone or liquid cavities of a cranium enter the special needle connected to the manometer. It is an unsafe and difficult procedure therefore for diagnosis often use other objective symptoms of intracranial hypertensia:

• Expansion and crimpiness of veins of an eyeground. In spite of the fact that it is an indirect symptom of increase in VChD, it is rather reliable;
• The disturbance of outflow of a venous blood established at ultrasonic examination of head vessels;
• Depression of marrow on edge of cerebral cavities and expansion of cavities with liquid. These signs are found at MRT (magnetic and resonant tomography) and CT (computer tomography);
• Use of the data obtained during the brain research by an ekhoentsefalografiya method.

Exact diagnosis and definition of extent of development of a disease are possible at a combination of all listed research methods, and also taking into account differentiation of symptoms of clinical implication of VChD.

Methods of treatment of intracranial hypertensia

Treatment of intracranial hypertensia is directed to reduction of amount of liquor and depends on a condition of the patient. At a high-quality form appoint diuretic drugs which, as a rule, are enough to facilitate a condition of the patient. In case traditional therapy is unacceptable (for example, in operating time), it is recommended to carry out special exercises.

Well the sparing diet, the particular drinking treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures, acupuncture and manual therapy help. Sometimes the patient does even without medicines, and symptoms of a disease pass within the first week of correction.

At treatment of the intracranial hypertensia caused by some other diseases originally remove the cause. So, at first it is necessary to get rid of a tumor which creates pressure in a skull, and only then to fight against the arisen effects.

In very hard cases, for example, when blocking brain liquid, to the patient implant special tubules which promote outflow of excessive cerebrospinal fluid.

It is possible to cure intracranial hypertensia only when the causes which caused this pathology are completely removed. At correctly picked up therapy improvement of a state is observed in 3-5 days after an initiation of treatment.