Predictors of disease course and long-term outcomes of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children and adolescents.

Abstract

This study provides insights into predictive factors for an unfavorable disease course, persistent headaches, and poor visual outcomes in patients with childhood IIH. Patients with persistent headaches may have a variant of a chronic pain syndrome warranting a different therapeutic approach. • Childhood-onset Idiopathic Intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a heterogenous disease. The knowledge on disease trajectory and long-term outcomes and its predictors is limited. • A higher opening pressure and factors suggestive of the metabolic syndrome predict an unfavorable disease coursewhereasfemale sex and disease recurrence are significantly associated with poor visual outcomes • A third of the patients diagnosed with IIH experience ongoing headachesdespite achieving favorable visual outcomes.This subset, characterized by lower disease-severity indicators at onset may represent a distinct subgroup warranting a different therapeutic approach.