Increased intracranial pressure in adults treatment. Intracranial pressure - symptoms and treatment

Many patients complain of minor ailments such as mild dizziness, blurred vision, or occasional headaches. Few people associate such symptoms with any existing disease. Almost everyone considers fatigue, stress, lack of sleep or mental overstrain to be the cause of this condition. Also, not everyone knows that the listed symptoms may indicate increased intracranial pressure. An increase in pressure, in turn, may be the result of other serious health problems, in particular cerebrovascular accident. This is especially true for children. Neurologists have long sounded the alarm about the increasing incidence of this pathology. And today we will touch on the issue "Intracranial pressure: symptoms and treatment"

Methods for determining VHF

If we talk about the norm of intracranial pressure, then this indicator falls into the range from 100 to 151 mm Hg. Before proceeding with the measurement of VHF, experts pay attention to the age of the patient. An important factor will be the presence or absence of a patient's history of stroke.

How to check intracranial pressure? Methods may vary. Infants are predominantly prescribed an ultrasound procedure and echoencephaloscopy. For older patients, methods of computed and magnetic resonance imaging are used.

With manifestations of a violation of the work of visual analyzers, special diagnostics are used, aimed at identifying the general picture of the fundus. In such cases, specialists are more likely to detect edema of the optic nerve, vagueness of the contours of the fundus.

How to measure intracranial pressure? It is impossible to do this at home. Modern medicine provides three ways:

epidural;
subdural (used in emergency situations);
using an intraventricular catheter.

Intracranial pressure: causes of the development of pathology

One of the reasons affecting intracranial pressure, medical professionals call a change in the size of the brain due to edema. This also includes the following:

Inflammation or the appearance of a neoplasm in the medulla.
Intoxication of the body resulting from poisoning: poisonous gases, low-quality alcohol, various harmful salts.
An increase in VHF can be accompanied by a number of diseases, such as: stroke, brain injury, hydrocephalus, hematomas of various etymologies.
In newborn children, the cause of pathology, as a rule, is various injuries received by them at birth.

Increased intracranial pressure: symptoms

The symptoms accompanying an increased HDV are quite numerous.
Here are the main signs of intracranial pressure in adults:

Pain in the head, which occurs, as a rule, immediately after waking up, and extends to almost the entire cranium. Most often, it has a pressing character and is not removed by painkillers.
Nausea and vomiting may occasionally occur.
There may be a violation of the work of mental processes, accompanied by apathy and increased drowsiness.
There are drops in blood pressure, visual disturbances, dizziness and slowing of the pulse.

Symptoms of intracranial pressure in an adult may also include the development of unexpected panic attacks, accompanied by sharp pains in the abdomen or heart. In some patients, against this background, there is an upset digestion and bowel function. A frequent manifestation of pathology, experts call visual impairment. Sometimes up to its complete loss in case of failure to provide timely assistance to the patient.

Signs of intracranial pressure in babies up to a year old can be as follows:

The child has swelling of the fontanelles and their excessive pulsation. The behavior of the baby changes markedly: the child can be either excessively sleepy or overexcited. In this case, the child has obvious violations of daytime and nighttime sleep.
The baby often vomits, the number of regurgitation increases, and a convulsive syndrome is observed.
The muscle tone of the child is sharply reduced, which can cause poor mobility.
The crumbs may experience vision problems up to the sudden onset of strabismus and limited mobility of the eyeball.

If the cause of the increase in VHF was an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the cranial cavity, then the baby begins a rapid increase in the volume of the head. The child develops hydrocephalus. With a severe development of the disease, the baby may periodically lose consciousness.

Benign intracranial hypertension

The course of the disease has not been sufficiently studied to date. The cause of the development of pathology has not been established either, despite numerous studies.

Most often, this condition is diagnosed in overweight women and children. Symptoms are almost indistinguishable from high HDV and usually disappear on their own after a while.

In rare cases, complications may occur. The most common is a sharp increase in pressure inside the skull, leading, with the worst development of the disease, to death if timely assistance is not provided.

Lighter ones are:

violation of respiratory functions;
disorder of consciousness;
convulsive syndrome;
blurred vision, sometimes to its complete loss;
disorder of mental processes;
strokes.

How to treat intracranial pressure?

Before proceeding to determine the appropriate forms of treatment for the disease, neurologists determine the cause of the pathology. If various tumors or neoplasms have become the cause of the disease, then the patient is prescribed an emergency surgical operation.

If there is an excess amount of fluid in the brain, shunting is prescribed to remove excess cerebrospinal fluid from the patient's skull.

Medical correction is used if surgery is not required. First of all, patients are prescribed drugs that have a sedative effect on the nervous system. Quite often, diuretics are prescribed for admission, since in this case, excess cerebrospinal fluid is excreted naturally.

Almost all patients are prescribed hormonal drugs. The complex intake of such drugs will help to correct, first of all, the amount of water in the body, and also regulate hormonal metabolism.

Compliance with a specialized diet plays an important role in the treatment of increased VHD. The nutrition system provides for limiting salt in food, as well as the amount of fluid entering the body.

A popular and effective treatment option in recent years has been the use of manual therapy methods. There are practically no contraindications for the method, as well as side effects. In rare cases, the patient may experience a sharp decrease in pressure. Symptoms are increased drowsiness, apathy, pain in the head, accompanied by vestibular manifestations (dizziness).

Normal intracranial pressure can range from 7.5 to 15 mm Hg. Art. In children, normal values are slightly lower than in adults. An increase in values above the norm (), as a rule, is secondary and is a pathological condition that can occur in adults and children and lead to the development of adverse effects. At values greater than 30 mm Hg. Art. possible irreversible damage to brain tissue, including leading to death.

What is intracranial pressure?

The pressure inside the skull is due, first of all, to the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained in some structures of the brain, partly to the pressure of the blood in the vessels, and in some cases to the tissue fluid.

Why is it dangerous to increase it? The fact is that the brain is located in the cranium, that is, it is rigidly limited by bone structures. An increase in pressure in such a closed space leads to squeezing of brain structures, which causes neurological disorders, primarily headache. Long-term intracranial hypertension can cause severe complications.

A prolonged increase in pressure inside the skull, as a rule, is a clinical sign of a disease, and is not an independent pathology.

Pressure inside the skull, unlike arterial pressure, cannot be done at home on its own; special instrumental methods are used for this. How to understand that a person has high cranial pressure? Usually, its presence is indicated by a characteristic triad of signs:

Headache.
Vomit.
Congestive fundus (determined by an ophthalmologist).

What causes increased intracranial pressure

Usually, intracranial hypertension occurs with an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid, tissue fluid (cerebral edema), blood (venous congestion), as well as during the formation of neoplasms in the brain (cyst, tumor,).

A short-term increase in cranial pressure occurs in healthy people when coughing, sneezing, bending over, stressful situations, excessive physical exertion, etc. However, in such cases it quickly returns to normal.

A prolonged increase in pressure inside the skull, as a rule, is a clinical sign of a particular disease, and is not an independent pathology, that is, it is of a secondary nature. The cause of a persistent increase in intracranial pressure is craniocerebral trauma, inflammation of the brain and its membranes (meningitis, encephalitis), neoplasms in the head, stroke, hydrocephalus. Less often - intoxication with salts of heavy metals, poisonous gases, methyl or ethyl alcohol.

Long-term intracranial hypertension can cause severe complications.

Diagnostics

To make a diagnosis, data obtained from the collection of complaints and anamnesis, examination of the patient, in particular, ophthalmological, are used. Examination of the fundus makes it possible to detect characteristic small hemorrhages on the retina, an increase in the blood vessels of the eyeball, swelling of the optic nerve head. The detection of such signs in the presence of a characteristic clinical picture makes it possible to establish increased cranial pressure.

To detect the primary disease, an examination is carried out, including laboratory and instrumental methods (computed or magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, etc.).

The choice of one or another method of measuring pressure inside the skull depends on the age of the patient and the characteristics of the course of the disease. In children of the first year of life, neurosonography and echoencephalography are usually used. You may need a puncture of the ventricles of the brain (or lumbar spine) with pressure measurement. Puncture performs another role - it allows laboratory diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid in case of suspicion of an infectious or tumor nature of the pathology. When measuring, cyclical changes in the indicator should also be taken into account, which allows you to get more information than when determining a separate average value.

During the diagnosis, edema, an increase or decrease in the volume of the ventricles of the brain, hemorrhages, neoplasms, an increase in the space between the meninges, divergence of the sutures of the skull, displacement of brain structures and other changes in the structure of the brain and surrounding tissues can be detected.

Vomiting in this case is not associated with food intake. It also often appears in the morning, can be multiple. After it, the intensity of the headache decreases.

Differential diagnosis is carried out with epilepsy, migraine, metabolic diseases, psychosomatic disorders (psychosomatics in medicine is the development of somatic, i.e. bodily diseases under the influence of psychological factors).

How to treat intracranial hypertension

What to do with increased cranial pressure? How to get rid of it? Treatment goes in two main directions:

in order to eliminate compression of the brain structures and painful symptoms of pathology.
Elimination of the cause of intracranial hypertension, i.e. treatment of the underlying disease.

Depending on the results of the examination, both conservative and surgical methods can be used.

The primary goal of conservative, and in complex cases, surgical treatment is to reduce the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Examination of the fundus makes it possible to detect characteristic small hemorrhages on the retina, an increase in the blood vessels of the eyeball, swelling of the optic nerve head.

Surgical treatment is resorted to with the ineffectiveness of drug therapy or for health reasons. It consists in shunting, creating an artificial way for the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid. Excess cerebrospinal fluid will be pumped out of the ventricles of the brain into the abdominal cavity or into the space between the meninges at the base of the brain through a special inserted tube. If a shunt is being placed on a child, it may need to be lengthened several times as the child grows.

In addition, surgical treatment is carried out in the treatment of certain neoplasms - aneurysms, hematomas, cysts, tumors.

Video

We offer you to watch a video on the topic of the article.

Frequent headache, dizziness, loss of consciousness are symptoms of serious problems. In some cases, they occur due to increased intracranial pressure. If all these problems are bothering you at the same time, you need to urgently go to the hospital for advice and treatment.

How to check intracranial pressure

Intracranial pressure occurs when cerebrospinal fluid or cerebrospinal fluid acts on the brain. The main part of the substance is formed as a result of the work of the vascular plexuses of glandular cells. If the amount of cerebrospinal fluid formed exceeds 1 liter per day, increased pressure appears inside the cranium. In addition, cerebral hypertension is caused by structures such as blood in the vessels and an enlarged brain. Doctors believe that the reasons for which this condition occurs may be:

traumatic brain injury;
hydrocephalus;
brain tumors;
hypertension;
stroke;
meningitis.

However, in order to confirm or refute the presence of these diseases, it is necessary to measure intracranial pressure using one of the existing diagnostic methods. The first thing a person who has felt such an ailment should do is to contact the clinic. Before an accurate diagnosis is made, a complete examination will have to be completed.

Which doctor measures intracranial pressure

Before you contact a specialist for advice, you need to find out who measures intracranial pressure. This direction is carried out by a neuropathologist and an oculist. The first of the doctors conducts an initial examination and interview, evaluates the symptoms that bother the patient. After that, he decides whether visits to other doctors and additional examinations with the help of equipment are required. The ophthalmologist has the opportunity to examine the fundus, take measurements and diagnose whether ICP is elevated or not.

Methods for measuring intracranial pressure

The degree of pressure increase inside the skull can be measured only by a doctor in a hospital or a specially equipped medical center where the necessary equipment is available. All methods by which the diagnosis of intracranial pressure is carried out are divided into invasive (based on penetration to the organ) and non-invasive (superficial examination).

Invasive diagnostic methods

Now the invasive method has been used only when it is impossible to do it in another way. These methods pose a danger to the life of the patient and are used only in adults. There are several types of invasive examination:

epidural. Hair is removed on the head, the skin at the site of trepanation is anesthetized, and a small incision is made. A hole is drilled in the skull, through which a special sensor is inserted between the skull and the shell of the brain. The device should reach the lateral part of the ventricle.
Subdural. A subdural screw is inserted through a hole in the skull to measure the level of ICP in the patient.
Use of an intraventricular catheter. It is considered the most effective of the proposed invasive methods. The catheter is inserted through a burr hole in the skull. It helps not only to evaluate data on the level of increased intracranial pressure, but also to pump out the intracerebral fluid with a drainage tube.

Non-invasive diagnostics

An indirect or non-invasive diagnostic method allows you to examine the brain and measure the pressure of the fluid inside it. Unlike direct invasive methods, they are safe and painless. These techniques are suitable for patients with a satisfactory condition, because their accuracy is questionable. The methods by which non-invasive diagnostics are carried out include:

Magnetic resonance imaging. The person is placed inside the capsule during the study, which takes 30-40 minutes. At the moment, doctors regard MRI as an auxiliary diagnostic method, because it does not give accurate results.
Transcranial dopplerography. It is based on the measurement of blood flow velocity inside the basal veins and venous sinus. The level of blood resistance in the jugular veins is also taken into account. The examination is carried out on an outpatient basis.
Duplex scanning of arteries. The doctor can use this study to diagnose the state of blood flow and blood vessels. Takes about 10 minutes.
Examination of the fundus. Before measuring intracranial pressure, the ophthalmologist instills a few drops of a 1% homatropin solution into each eye of the patient to dilate the pupils. Inspection is carried out using a special mirror at a distance of 8 cm or an electric ophthalmoscope. If ICP is increased, then the ophthalmologist will notice the expansion of tortuous vessels, a change in tissue, contours and color of the optic nerve head.
Otoacoustic method. The doctor evaluates the position of the eardrum in the ear. If the pressure in the cranium is higher than normal, then it also rises in the cochlea.
Spinal puncture. A needle is inserted into the spine between the 3rd and 4th vertebrae. A manometer is attached to it, so they measure the volume of liquid and the degree of pressure. The patient must stay in the hospital during this method.
Rheoencephalography. The method consists in the fact that a high-frequency discharge of a weak current is passed through the tissues of the skull. A device with wires is fixed on the head, a person is seated on a chair and light pulses are directed at him. The device must diagnose the level of ICP by converting the readings into a graph of pulse fluctuations.

How is intracranial pressure measured in adults?

After a visual examination of the patient and an assessment of the symptoms that disturb him, the neuropathologist sends him for an additional examination. The diagnostic method is chosen at the discretion of the specialist and depends on the degree of the patient's condition. In most cases, intracranial pressure in adults is measured non-invasively, but in the case of a serious head injury, direct examination methods are used.

How to check intracranial pressure in a child

Intracranial hypertension can also occur in children. ICP is often diagnosed in newborns based on the following symptoms:

frequent causeless crying;
protruding and tense fontanel;
head size is larger than normal;
strabismus.

Intracranial pressure in older children manifests itself as:

vomit;
headache;
fatigue;
increased excitability;
convulsions.

These signs do not always indicate cerebral hypertension, but if they are disturbing at the same time, then the child should be examined immediately. The doctor will tell you how to measure intracranial pressure in childhood and by what method. Children who have not yet overgrown the fontanel are prescribed neurosonography or ultrasound of the brain. The procedure is completely safe and is indicated for newborns from birth. Children from one year old are sent for echoencephalography. The device will help to track the level of pulsation of the brain vessels.

Now there is a lot of information about how to treat intracranial pressure at home. Intracranial pressure is caused by a lack or excess of cerebrospinal fluid due to a violation of its circulation.

Symptoms of intracranial pressure

The cause of high blood pressure is an excess of fluid that presses on the brain, causing severe headaches. Low blood pressure occurs when there is a decrease in the amount of CSF, or cerebrospinal fluid. Symptoms include:

persistent headaches that get worse in the morning or evening;
nausea;
lethargy, drowsiness, increased irritability;
dark bags under the eyes;
loss of muscle strength;
weakness;
strong sweating;
noise in ears;
fast fatiguability.

Treatment methods for the disease

There are many ways to treat this disease. In any case, you should not self-medicate, relieving pain with strong painkillers. It is better to consult a doctor and undergo an examination, because. intracranial pressure can be caused by a tumor or head injury, and a careless attitude to one's health can lead to serious consequences.

Usually, to reduce intracranial pressure, a low-salt diet is prescribed and diuretics are prescribed to remove excess fluid from the body.

Sometimes they resort to surgical intervention. The need for this arises if the disease is the result of a stroke or severe head injury.
One of the causes of intracranial pressure may be excess weight. Therefore, doctors advise to maintain constant weight control. It is worth reconsidering your habits, namely:

smoking;
excessive alcohol consumption;
eating fatty, spicy foods;
sedentary lifestyle.

Experts advise running in the morning or evening. You can choose the time and intensity of training based on your sports training and well-being. If you devote 10 minutes to this activity every day, your condition will improve over time and your headache will bother you less often.

Folk remedies should be used if your illness is chronic or as an addition to the main treatment. Most folk recipes are based on the use of decoctions of herbs and medicinal plants. Using these tips in practice will at least help increase the effectiveness of treatment and get rid of the hated disease as much as possible.

How to treat intracranial pressure at home

To prepare the medicine, you will need the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix the ingredients and add 100 ml of warm water. Mix thoroughly. Drink before bed or in the morning. The duration of treatment is 20 days. After 10 days, you should take a break for a few days. This drink will help both normalize blood pressure and increase immunity.

One spoonful of dry plantain is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for half an hour. Take 2 tablespoons of decoction after meals 3 times a day.

Mulberry decoction is a good pain reliever. To prepare it, you will need 20 g of mulberry twigs, which are boiled in 1 liter of boiling water for 10 minutes. The decoction should be infused for about 30 minutes, and it should be consumed 100 g before meals.

Birch sap helps to reduce intracranial pressure. You can use it without special restrictions, in any quantities. It has a diuretic effect and well complements the daily requirement for vitamins and minerals.

To prepare the infusion, you will need 10 g of mint, 10 g of hawthorn, 10 g of valerian and 10 g of motherwort. Fill the herbs with 0.5 liters of vodka. We insist in a dark dry place during the day. The resulting remedy is taken in a teaspoon 2 times a day.

Using a blender, grind 2 lemons and 2 heads of garlic. Pour the resulting mixture with 2 liters of warm water. The drink should be taken 2 tablespoons before bedtime.

Heated lavender oil, which must be rubbed into whiskey, will help normalize the pressure.

3 tablespoons of dry collection, consisting of nettle and string in a ratio of 1: 1, pour 1 liter of boiling water. The drink is recommended to take 50 g before each meal.

Compresses, inhalations and tinctures

To prepare the tincture, you will need 100 g of chopped lavender herb and 100 g of olive oil. The ingredients are mixed and infused for 20 days in a dark place. After that, the mixture is filtered through cheesecloth and 150 g of aloe juice is added to it. The resulting remedy can be taken orally 2 teaspoons a day or instilled into the nose.

To relieve pain with increased intracranial pressure, an alcohol compress based on camphor oil will help. To prepare it, you will need 50 g of 70% alcohol and 50 g of camphor oil. The mixture should be slightly heated in a water bath. Soak a cloth or gauze with the resulting solution and put on the scalp. Wrap the head with plastic wrap and cover with a towel on top. Keep the compress on your head for 2-3 hours. After that, you need to wash your hair with shampoo. The procedure should be carried out before going to bed 10 times with an interval of 1 day.

Inhalation to relieve headaches with increased ICP. 30 bay leaves are poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water and infused for 5-10 minutes. Then we breathe over the pan for 15 minutes, covered with a towel.

An effective remedy for headaches is a decoction made from garlic and milk. 10 cloves of garlic should be grated on a fine grater, pour 100 ml of milk and bring to a boil. The resulting broth is cooled and filtered. The resulting mixture is instilled in each ear, 5-10 drops. After 1 minute, it is necessary that the liquid comes out of the ear. To do this, tilt your head.

An interesting way to relieve headaches with ICP is to use a magnet. It must be applied to the temples, and the pain will go away.

To reduce a headache, you can drink a glass of kefir with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. The drink must be thoroughly mixed and it should be drunk 1 glass every day.

Beetroot juice will help. 200 ml of juice should be mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey. It is recommended to take this remedy 4-5 times a day for 3 weeks. It should be noted that the juice should stand for about 3 hours before drinking, since freshly prepared beetroot juice can adversely affect blood vessels.

People suffering from increased intracranial pressure are especially sensitive to weather changes. Their blood pressure rises and their head starts to hurt. You can lower the pressure with the help of mustard plasters. They need to be applied to the neck and back of the head.

With a sharp attack of pain, you can mix horseradish and radish chopped on a grater in equal amounts. The resulting mixture must be spread on gauze and divided into 2 compresses. They need to be applied to the calf muscles and wrap the legs in a warm blanket. After 20 minutes, the compresses can be removed. After that, it is necessary to lubricate the skin of the legs with cream or sunflower oil.

One of the most pleasant methods of dealing with intracranial pressure will be the use of grapes. It has a diuretic effect and nourishes the brain tissue. You can take grapes as a treatment in unlimited quantities. The sweeter the grapes, the more effective the treatment.

You can reduce pain with a cotton swab dipped in cold water. They need to wipe their ears and the pain will recede.

Butter can also normalize. To do this, it must be melted and instilled into the nose about 5 times daily.

In the modern world, many people try to resort to treatment with chemistry or pills as little as possible and are increasingly using folk methods. If your diagnosis is intracranial pressure - do not lose heart! This disease is treatable, the main thing is not to give up and believe in healing. Be outdoors more often. Walking will not only help improve blood circulation, but also cheer you up.

Yoga is an excellent remedy for normalizing intracranial pressure.

During exercise, the blood is saturated with oxygen and its circulation normalizes.

Head of the Department of Functional Diagnostics

Doctor-neurologist of the highest category, specialist in the field of extrapyramidal pathologies, doctor of the highest category

Headache, weakness, fatigue, decreased performance - these signs may indicate, among other things, a change intracranial pressure. It should be understood that it varies depending on the physiological and psychological state of a person, so there is a wide range of normal indicators. It is impossible to measure it at home, so when the first symptoms appear, you should contact for a full diagnosis. The Clinical Institute of the Brain has all the conditions for checking intracranial pressure, as well as a staff of specialists who will prescribe effective treatment if a pathology is detected. Untimely provision of medical care is dangerous for health, because in conditions of insufficient blood supply to certain parts of the brain, the level of their functioning gradually decreases.

Physiological norm and definition of intracranial pressure

The human skull is a cavity in which the brain is located. To protect it from injury, as well as to maintain its normal operation, there are departments filled with liquid. First of all, the liquid fraction is represented by blood, which is in the vessels. There is also liquor (spinal, or cerebrospinal fluid). It is synthesized in special vascular plexuses and enters the skull through the spinal canal, then is in the ventricles of the brain and is removed through the venous sinuses. This fluid is necessary for the transport of oxygen and nutrients, which are used by brain cells to maintain performance.

Intracranial pressure is a complex value that consists of several factors:

pressure of the brain (normally, it occupies no more than 85% of the space of the skull);
blood - up to 8%;
cerebrospinal fluid - up to 7%.

Blood and cerebrospinal fluid are in constant motion. If the blood circulates through the vascular bed, then the spinal fluid moves through the ventricles of the brain and through the spinal canal. These fractions are continuously synthesized, enter the cranium and move further along the vascular bed. When they are in the skull, they put pressure on the interior of the vessels and ventricles of the brain. For this reason, intracranial pressure is present in every person, and its value can change every minute. An increase or decrease in this indicator may indicate both pathology and normal physiological processes in the human body.

Causes of violation of the pressure norm

In the CIS countries, increased intracranial pressure is a common diagnosis. It is put for various disorders of the central nervous system for adults and children, and a simple set of therapeutic procedures allows you to quickly normalize the condition and maintain it in the future. However, a change in ICP is actually a symptom of a number of dangerous diseases that are not treated at home. When making a diagnosis, it is important to pay attention to the patient's complaints, collect a complete picture and determine whether the pressure inside the skull is pathologically reduced or increased and threatens human health. In most cases, if ICP is really elevated, the patient has a number of additional clinical signs that can be used to identify serious disorders of nervous activity.

Increased intracranial pressure

Increased intracranial pressure is a dangerous phenomenon. It accompanies diseases that threaten the life of the patient. These include:

inflammatory diseases of the membranes of the brain, including infectious origin (meningitis);
serious poisoning with toxins - while there is an increase in the amount of blood in the vessels of the brain and its stagnation;
traumatic brain tissue injuries (closed craniocerebral trauma);
various neoplasms in the cranial cavity;
hematomas located between the membranes of the brain;
hydrocephalus - a dangerous disease that is characterized by a violation of the outflow of spinal fluid and its accumulation in the ventricles of the brain;
severe metabolic disorders (advanced forms of diabetes mellitus).

In children under the age of 10-11 years, any signs of intracranial hypertension are often associated with birth trauma. Indeed, this factor in history can provoke cerebral hypoxia and various neurological disorders. However, it is important to exclude the possibility of developing hydrocephalus - this disease manifests itself at an early age and is characterized by a rapid increase in head volume. Since the anatomical norm may differ in children (a large head is not a cause for concern), the diagnosis is made on the basis of frequent measurements of head circumference and analysis of its growth rate. Signs of increased intracranial pressure in adults are a reason to undergo an examination and exclude the possibility of neoplasms in the cranial cavity.

pressure drop

Decreased intracranial pressure is a less dangerous condition. This indicator decreases in certain situations that can be corrected by a set of procedures or by taking medications. Surgical intervention is not required. Reasons for its decline include:

the production of spinal fluid in insufficient quantities or the acceleration of its reabsorption into the blood;
increasing the permeability of the barrier, which ensures the exchange of fluid between the cells of the central nervous system and the bloodstream;
decreased tone of blood vessels;
diseases of the spinal column, especially the index of intracranial pressure is affected by the cervical region;
any conditions that are accompanied by pathological dehydration of the body: poisoning, taking diuretics, allergic reactions, and others.

In some diseases, there is a decrease in the rate of blood circulation through the vessels of the brain. They can also be the result of birth injuries, vascular pathologies, congenital anomalies in the structure of the brain. With untimely treatment, this condition can also cause dangerous complications.

Signs of pathology

Changes in intracranial pressure affect the general condition of the patient. Often this is preceded by trauma or blows to the head, complications during childbirth, as well as diseases of the meninges. In this case, the patient cannot lead a normal life, and the symptoms of an increase or decrease in ICP are not stopped by taking medications. Such patients are treated in a hospital setting. It is also impossible not to notice pathological changes in this indicator in children. In addition, in the absence of a reason, the pressure cannot increase or decrease and stop at a critical level for the child - serious reasons are needed for this.

The physiological basis of painful sensations with an increase or decrease in pressure, as well as other signs, is an insufficient supply of blood to the brain and various violations of its circulation. If the fluid is retained in the vessels and cerebral ventricles, the tissues are under constant pressure, which can provoke a gradual necrosis (death) of the cells. Hypoxia (insufficient oxygen supply) and nutritional deficiency are also observed - this is the cause of impaired brain activity or loss of reflexes, depending on the location of the damaged area of brain tissue.

At elevated pressure

High blood pressure is manifested by a pronounced complex of symptoms that affect all life processes. They can be combined with additional clinical signs characteristic of a particular disease. The symptom complex indicating an increase in ICP includes:

painful sensations in the head, which are of a pressing nature and spread to all areas, often occur immediately after waking up and intensify during the day;
sleep disturbances, insomnia;
failure of standard headache medications;
nausea and vomiting, decreased heart rate;
a sharp decrease in vision, the inability to focus on small objects for a long time, memory impairment and concentration.

With a headache that occurs due to serious pathologies of intracranial pressure, the patient observes bed rest. With physical activity, attacks of dizziness, loss of consciousness, memory lapses may occur. Peripheral vision disorders are also periodically manifested, the appearance of dark spots and "flies" in the field of view is a consequence of the permanent pressure of the fluid on the optic nerve. With an exacerbation, the situation worsens, normal reflex responses to stimuli may partially disappear.

In children, behavioral problems and hyperactivity are often associated with increased intracranial pressure. However, these diagnoses may not be related. An increase in ICP in infants is indicated by symptoms such as bulging of the fontanel, a rapid increase in head circumference, and divergence of the bones of the skull. Another alarming symptom is too slow overgrowth of the fontanel. If these signs appear in combination with general apathy or excitability, poor sleep, lack of congenital reflexes, this may indicate pathological fluid pressure inside the skull.

Under reduced pressure

Decreased intracranial pressure can also be determined by clinical signs. Symptoms are not as pronounced as with an increase in this indicator, but also affect the patient's well-being and performance. If the pressure inside the skull does not meet the standards, this leads to the following consequences:

headaches, which are especially aggravated by raising the head;
frequent mood swings, lethargy, apathy, irritability;
simultaneous decrease in blood pressure if the syndrome is caused by a general fluid deficiency in the body;
headaches, dizziness, fainting may occur after minor physical exertion;
decreased visual acuity, the appearance of dark spots before the eyes;
nausea, abdominal pain;
possible pain in the region of the heart, which extend to the chest.

First aid for a sharp decrease in intracranial pressure is to take the correct position. Lying on your back with your head down, the outflow of fluid is difficult, so the pressure is partially restored. This factor may also be of diagnostic value - when lifting the head and in a sitting or standing position, the pain intensifies, and when lying on the back, it decreases slightly.

Diagnostic methods

It is impossible to measure intracranial pressure at home. The only thing the patient can help himself with is to detect the symptoms in time and consult a doctor for a detailed diagnosis. It should be understood that the procedures for measuring ICP are complex, require special equipment and sufficient qualifications of medical personnel. All these conditions are available at the Clinical Institute of the Brain, which specializes in the problems of diagnosing and treating pathologies of nervous activity.

The only way to accurately determine the indicator of intracranial pressure is a puncture of the cerebrospinal fluid. The technique is invasive and is used only in difficult cases. To do this, it is necessary to make a puncture in the lumbar region (into the canal of the spinal cord) or the ventricles of the brain. Liquor, which constantly circulates in these spaces, will begin to flow out, and its pressure can be measured. The value is measured in mm of water column, and its norm is from 60 to 200 mm. These data are indicative if the patient is in the supine position.

There are also additional diagnostic techniques that allow you to assess the state of the brain, its ventricles and vascular bed without invasive intervention. These include:

Ultrasound of the brain - the procedure is performed only for children who have not experienced a fusion of the fontanel, and in adults it is impossible due to the density of the bones of the skull;
CT or MRI of the brain - analysis can be done at any age, while the data are quite informative and allow you to get a complete three-dimensional image of any area under study;
echoencephalography - a type of ultrasound examination, with which you can determine the degree of filling and pulsation of the cerebral arteries.

It is impossible to diagnose increased intracranial pressure only on the basis of the clinical picture. However, all these data must be provided to the doctor during the initial examination. On their basis, the specialists of the Clinical Institute of the Brain will prescribe all the necessary diagnostic steps that will allow you to fully assess the patient's condition.

Treatment and prognosis

Therapeutic measures are prescribed based on the results of the diagnosis. First of all, it is important to get rid of the cause that provokes excessive fluid pressure on the cranium. If this phenomenon is caused by traumatic brain injuries, the patient is shown complete rest, sparing nutrition, and taking anti-inflammatory drugs. In some cases, surgical intervention is necessary (in the presence of hematomas between the membranes of the brain, as well as in the presence of injuries that require surgical treatment). The operation is also prescribed for the detection of various neoplasms in the brain tissues, prone to rapid growth.

A separate set of measures is carried out in the diagnosis of hydrofecalia in a child. To remove excess fluid, a shunt is installed through which it flows into the abdominal cavity, and the pressure returns to normal. The operation is repeated as the child grows, and the patient is constantly under observation. In some children, the need for artificial removal of fluid gradually disappears.

Drug therapy for ICP pathologies is secondary. However, drugs are prescribed to eliminate symptoms and to make the patient feel better. The following medicines may be helpful:

hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs;
neuroprotectors and substances to stimulate blood circulation in the brain - the effectiveness of this group has not been proven, despite its widespread use;
loop diuretics (diuretics) - drugs that stimulate the excretion of excess fluid;
osmodiuretics - including reduce the production of cerebrospinal fluid.

The Clinical Brain Institute specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. Increased intracranial pressure is not a separate disease, but a symptom that indicates a number of pathologies. Experienced specialists will accurately determine the cause of such a violation, as well as its severity and possible consequences. It should be understood that only timely seeking medical help can guarantee successful treatment and a return to a normal lifestyle without a headache.