The incidence and prevalence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in Sheffield, UK

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence and prevalence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in Sheffield, UK. A retrospective review of case notes was conducted to identify cases of IIH seen between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2008. Sixteen (15 women and 1 man) new patients were identified to give an incidence within Sheffield of 1.56/100,000/year and 2.86/100,000/year for women. The incidence of IIH in obese women was 11.9/100,000/year. The prevalence of IIH was calculated as 10.9/100,000, and 85.7/100,000 in obese women. A higher incidence of IIH than previously reported UK data was found, which may be because of increasing obesity within the population, or improved case ascertainment.