Idiopathic intracranial hypertension on the rise in Wales

(HealthDay) – The incidence and prevalence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension is increasing in Wales, matching the increase in body mass index (BMI) in the population, according to a study published online on January 20 in Neurology.

Latif Miah, MBBCh., From Swansea University in the UK, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2003 to 2017 to characterize trends in incidence, prevalence and health care outcomes in the IIH population in Wales. Thirty-five million patient-years of data have been analyzed.

Researchers identified 1,765 cases of HII in 2017 (85% female). In 2017, the prevalence of IIH was 76 per 100,000 and the incidence was 7.8 per 100,000 per year, which was significantly increased from 12 per 100,000 and 2.3 per 100,000 / year, respectively, in 2003. The prevalence of IIH was associated with increased BMI and deprivation. After adjusting for sex and BMI, the odds ratio for developing HII in the least disadvantaged quintile compared to the most disadvantaged quintile was 0.65. Overall, 9% of HII cases had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts and less than 0.2% had bariatric surgery. The IIH cohort had higher unscheduled hospital admissions than controls (rate ratio, 5.28), as did those with IIH and CSF shunts compared to those without shunts (rate ratio, 2.02) .

“The increasing incidence of HI, as well as the increased use of healthcare among people with III and especially those who have had CSF shunts have important implications for healthcare professionals and policy makers. », Write the authors.

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