Clinical Assessment: Neurological Issues

Today’s post is another excerpt from “Best Weight: A Practical Guide to Office-Based Weight Management“, recently published by the Canadian Obesity Network.

This guide is meant for health professionals dealing with obese clients and is NOT a self-management tool or weight-loss program. However, I assume that even general readers may find some of this material of interest.

NEUROLOGICAL ISSUES

Pseudotumour cerebri is a syndrome involving raised intracranial pressure without clinical, laboratory or radiological evidence of intracranial pathology. It is usually seen in young obese women. Long a relatively rare disease, incidence is growing rapidly along with increasing rates of obesity. The cause is unknown but it is thought to be related to increased intracranial pressure that produces symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting and pulsatile tinnitus. Permanent visual defects are serious and not infrequent complications. Weight loss can usually reverse symptoms of pseudotumour cerebri and prevent the onset of permanent complications. Fundoscopic examination of patients with pseudotumour cerebri may reveal what appears to be papilledema.

© Copyright 2010 by Dr. Arya M. Sharma and Dr. Yoni Freedhoff. All rights reserved.

The opinions in this book are those of the authors and do not represent those of the Canadian Obesity Network.

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