As said earlier, the causative factors of benign intracranial hypertension are not known fully, and the exact mechanism of the raised intracranial pressure is not known. Yet, this condition is particularly observed more in young females who are obese or are grossly overweight, those who often have a history of menstrual irregularities or taking oral contraceptive pills and having some other comorbid endocrinal disturbance.
Although, careful endocrinal studies have failed to show any significant abnormalities on the endocrinal axis in these patients. In a small group of patients, a definite precipitating cause is found such as hypoparathyroidism, or excess of vit A which is usually as a result of overdosing of acne treatment, or a pernicious anemia, or as a drug reaction like for tetracycline, nalidixic acid, sulfamethoxazole, indomethacin, danazole, lithium carbonate, or as mention earlier oral contraceptives.
Similar ailment can be found from venous sinus thrombosis. Prior to the antibiotic era, mastoiditis was a cuase of pseudotumour cerebri as a consequence of the spread of the inflammation to the lateral as well as sigmoid sinuses. Now it is a very very rare condition to occur.
Most of the patients are obese females who will complain of headache and visual disturbances. The headache is due to the raised intracranial pressure which is worse in the morning and aggravated by stooping or coughing or any action that raises the intracranial pressure like straining. The visual disturbances are in the form of papilloedema, secondary optic atrophy and diplopia due to the affection of sixth cranial nerve.
