Women with a disabling neurological disorder are twice as likely to suffer from heart problems

Patients with a disabling neurological disorder, called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, are at twice the risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke, as demonstrated for the first time a study conducted by the University of Birmingham.

IIH is a debilitating disease in which pressure around the brain is greatly increased, causing disabling chronic headaches. It can also compress the optic nerve, causing permanent vision loss in 25% of those affected. The condition is most common among women with obesity in their twenties and thirties.

A study, published today in JAMA Neurologycompared general patient records of 2,760 women with IIH with a control group of 27,125 women without IIH. Women in both groups had similar weights and ages, with an average age of 32 years.

The researchers found that women with IIH were twice as likely to be at risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart failure and stroke, as women of the same weight and age without IIH.

The research, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and the Council for Medical Research, also showed the increase in the prevalence and impact of IH. among women, which more than tripled between 2005 and 2017. The incidence rose from 2.5 to 9.3% 100,000 person-years.

The research was conducted by experts at Birmingham Health Partners, a strategic alliance between the University of Birmingham and two funds of the NHS Foundation Trusts – Birmingham Women's & Children's, and University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), where members collaborate to bring health innovations to clinical applications. .

Professor Sinclair, of the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research at the University of Birmingham, said: "Given the increasing prevalence and impact of IHI. Along with a worldwide increase in obesity, it is really important to have this information plan the delivery of health care and services to care for those patients who often feel neglected. "

Professor Sinclair is also a consulting neurologist at the UHB, who leads one of the world's largest IIH clinical departments based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. By combining clinical neurology and translational research, Dr. Sinclair and her team are now world-renowned experts in brain pressure.

Professor Sinclair added, "The results of the study support the expansion of HII patient care to include assessment and modification of cardiovascular risk, which could reduce long-term complications of cardiovascular diseases.

"IIH patients are typically identified at a young age, which could be an opportunity for early assessment of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, followed by appropriate management to minimize or mitigate these risk factors."

Nicola Adderley, lecturer in health informatics and epidemiology at the Institute for Applied Health Research at the University of Birmingham, said: "People with high body mass index are at risk We therefore wanted to compare women with IIH who were the same age and weight to establish whether there was a difference in risk between women with and without IIH regardless of weight.

"The increased risk of cardiovascular disease observed in women with HII compared with those without IIH was beyond what could be expected due solely to the fact that women with HII were overweight. obesity and seems to be related to the same IHI.

"We hope this important observation will be further evaluated to determine whether a health policy change involving early intervention of patients with IIH would improve their long-term health outcomes."

Shelly Williamson, President of the IIH UK charity, which provides support to patients with this disease, said: "While many women with IIH are shocked by this important research, I am delighted to know that now that IIH is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

"IIH is a debilitating disease and, in the future, broadening the care of IIH patients to include assessing cardiovascular risk and ensuring that they are being followed and treated accordingly can be an important step in the care provided to patients. "