The Costs of a Quiet Disorder: Direct and Indirect Costs of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH; pseudotumor cerebri) is a disorder with a reported incidence rate of one to three per 100,000 people in the general population. The rate among obese females of childbearing age is approximately 20 out of every 100,000 (1,9,17,25). As its name suggests, the disorder arises from unknown causes, and manifests itself in the form of elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure within the skull. Those afflicted with IIH often experience an array of signs and symptoms suggestive of IH, including papilledema, severe headaches, visual disturbances and pulsatile synchronous tinnitus, which can severely limit functional independence and quality of life (8,19,20).