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One study warned that the obesity crisis could lead to an increase in the number of cases of rare brain disorders and cause chronic headaches and blindness.
Researchers in Wales analyzed 1,765 cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) – a condition that mimics the symptoms of a tumor. They occur when pressure builds in the fluid surrounding the brain – and can cause chronic headaches and varying degrees of vision problems.
Common treatment for this condition includes a weight loss program. Women of childbearing age are considered to be the most vulnerable to this condition.
The team said the diagnosis of IIH increased six-fold between 2003 and 2017, with the number of people living with the disease increasing from 12 in 100,000 to 76.
In 2013, likewise, 2 in 100,000 people were identified as having the disease.
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The researchers said the new study, which looked at 35 million patients in Wales over a 15-year period, identified 1,765 cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension – 85% of those patients were women.
The team found strong links – for both men and women – between higher body mass indices, or “body mass index,” and the risk of developing the disorder.
Among the women identified by the study, there were 180 cases where the subject had a high body mass index, compared with only 13 cases where the women had an “ideal” body mass index.
For men, there were 21 cases among those with a high BMI, compared to eight cases for those with an ideal BMI.
The team also found that – for women only – social and economic factors seemed to play a role in determining risk.
“The most surprising thing about our research is that women who suffer from poverty or other social and economic barriers may also be at increased risk, regardless of obesity,” said author and neurologist Owen Pickrell , from Swansea University. For our study participants, women in the lower two groups made up more than half of the women in the study.
More research is needed to determine socioeconomic factors such as diet, pollution, smoking or stress, which may play a role in increasing a woman’s risk of developing this disorder.
The full results of the study are published in the journal Neurology.
Source: Daily Mail
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