Is there a relationship between obesity and intracranial hypertension?
BACKGROUND
Intracranial hypertension and obesity have been reported in recent studies of patients with periorbital venous vasculitis. These findings indicate that obese patients should be investigated for signs of inflammation in serum and lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure.


METHODS
Twenty obese females, aged 27-68 years participated in the study of associated symptoms, signs of inflammation in serum, intracranial hypertension and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (MR). Twenty randomly selected age- and sex-matched females were also investigated for associated symptoms and MR as controls.


RESULTS
There were no statistically significant differences in associated symptoms and diseases except for infertility (P < 0.05) between the two groups. The values for orosomucoid, haptoglobin, IgG, IgM and tests for rheumatic and antinuclear factors were significantly increased in the obese group compared with normal values at the hospital. The lumbar CSF pressure was increased above 20 cm water in 79% and above 25 cm water in 42% in the obese patients. MR showed that the subarachnoidal space in the obese patients were significantly smaller than in the controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Signs of inflammation in serum, intracranial hypertension and decreased subarachnoidal space were statistically significantly more common in patients with obesity, than in controls.
Hannerz
J
J
Department of Neurology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Greitz
D
D
Ericson
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D015170:Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009961:Orosomucoid / Q000032:analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D006242:Haptoglobins; D009961:Orosomucoid