What is known about intracranial pressure
Our brain, like our spinal cord, is insidecontains special cavities filled with fluid that protects it from impacts. The fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid, and the cavities are called ventricles. The last of them, the fourth, opens into the subarachnoid space around the brain, where the cerebrospinal fluid is absorbed through the venous system, goes to the kidneys, and then excreted. The size of the space in adults is normally 130-150 ml, and the daily production of cerebrospinal fluid is 450-500 ml. Such a spinal substrate, in addition to protection, exerts pressure on the brain, which is individual for each person. An increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid gives increased intracranial pressure, and a decrease - decreased. Pressure is considered:
- normal 10-15 mm Hg. p.
- at a higher (from 15 to 25) treatment is required;
- excess of 25 mm Hg. Art. is critical and requires urgent intervention.
What are the reasons for the increase
Intracranial pressure, like arterial pressure, does notconstantly, during the day it can both increase and decrease without affecting our well-being. Only its persistent change causes concern, necessarily manifesting itself with certain symptoms that should not be ignored, because we are talking about our health and the health of loved ones. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring your well-being, not attributing headaches only to fatigue, weather or stressful situations, it can be a signal of increased intracranial pressure in adults. Persistent signs of changes in intracranial pressure, if we do not consider meningitis, injuries and tumors, of course, cannot appear suddenly if a person has blooming health. For them to occur, there must always be some long-term changes in the body that disrupt metabolic processes in it. Even ordinary atherosclerosis or postural disorders can become them. Physiological causes of changes in pressure in adults are an increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid due to:
- disturbance of circulation, when the cerebrospinal fluid is absorbed into the blood insufficiently;
- when there is a lot of fluid in the body, and too much liquor is released.
Intracranial pressure in adults canincrease gradually, then the body adapts to it, and the symptoms are expressed implicitly, mixing with signs of other diseases. In such situations, high hypertension may remain unnoticed.
What is characteristic for pressure changes
In order not to miss a “hidden” increase in ICP, you need to analyze your condition, paying attention to the following symptoms:
- the gradual emergence of a headache when its intensity is moderate, but it "gives" to the eye area, and on awakening it is felt as a "bursting" in the head;
- the pain is worse lying, with coughing, with a backward incline, that is, when outflow of venous blood from the cavity of the skull is hampered;
- in the morning, together with pain, there may be a vomiting of relief;
- such manifestations are accompanied by a "noise" in the head;
- there is swelling of the eyelids (with bruises) and face;
- the pain in the head passes, if it is more convenient to lie down, having beaten the pillow and straightening the neck (this improves the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid).
Over time, compensatory capabilities are exhausted,comfortable positions become fewer and fewer, and a person is forced to take bizarre positions to at least partially get rid of the pain. Then the following are added:
- apathy and drowsiness or excitement;
- palpitation;
- visual impairment (defective nerve) in the form of strabismus, fogging and loss of lateral and central visual fields;
- neurological manifestations - disturbances of movement and speech, hearing, smell.
Sharply high blood pressure appears in the following cases:
- cerebral hypoxia;
- strokes;
- meningitis and encephalitis;
- tumors;
- trauma to the skull;
- poisonings;
- methods of high doses of vitamin A.
We must remember that separately, on its own, eachthe symptom does not mean intracranial hypertension, it is indicated by the appearance of several signs at once. The pressure can also be low (hypotension) due to injuries, vasoconstriction, treatment with diuretics without a doctor's supervision. Then the patients feel as if the head is squeezed by a "hoop", they may have drowsiness and irritability, nausea and vomiting. Increased intracranial pressure is not a disease, but a set of signs indicating the appearance of pathological processes in the body that need to be identified and treated.
What are they doing to cure
If there is a suspicion that we have an increaseintracranial pressure, you need to visit an ophthalmologist without delay, who will determine the condition of the veins during an examination of the fundus, and, on his recommendation, undergo additional examinations. Tomography, echography, and X-ray methods will determine the amount of cerebrospinal fluid, the nature of its location and venous blood outflow, will help to clarify the suspected causes and select treatment. In this case, the doctor will take into account the entire clinical picture, including the person's well-being. It is important to remember that treatment is prescribed only by a neurologist who can correctly interpret the results obtained during the examination. Of course, the underlying disease needs to be treated, but additional measures are always taken to improve well-being. Adults are prescribed:
- diet;
- a mode of drinking;
- diuretics (eg, furoside), vascular and sedative drugs;
- nootropics, they will improve the nutrition of the brain;
- corticosteroids, in severe cases, for example, prednisolone;
- vitamins of group B, a mode of drinking;
- massage of the collar zone;
- gymnastics;
- can be applied on the advice of a doctor and folk remedies. For example, tincture of mint, parsley, bearberry, clover.
These remedies, prescribed according to symptoms, will reducethe amount of cerebrospinal fluid inside the brain, improve the outflow of blood through the veins, stabilize the state of health. All "relieving" procedures can only be prescribed by a doctor, it is better to undergo an examination and all treatment in a hospital. In case of intracranial pressure, the symptoms and treatment are directly related to each other, so, in a serious condition and a danger to life, artificial ventilation of the lungs and surgery are performed. In case of hypotension, they treat by stimulating the production of fluid, normalizing the amount of electrolytes in the body. If this does not help, then the cerebrospinal fluid leak is surgically eliminated by closing the holes. It is imperative to visit a doctor if you suspect ICP, listen to his opinion on treatment methods, and undergo an examination. It is impossible to be cured only by folk remedies, medications or homeopathy. You can only expose yourself to the risk of wasting time and waiting for irreversible changes in the body, such as hydrocephalus (a decrease in brain volume, its replacement with fluid), blindness, changes in intelligence. And if you start treatment "for future use", and the disease does not develop strongly later, no harm is done to the body, since the side effects of the drugs will quickly disappear. To preserve your health, you need to listen carefully to the "signals" sent by our brain. Increased intracranial pressure seriously disrupts the functioning of the body, creates problems in the supply of oxygen to the brain, and is a threat to life. Our well-being directly depends on whether there was an increase in intracranial pressure or not. When the pressure is normal, then everything will be fine with your health.
