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Press Release

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, May 12, 2021

Who Is Affected By Brain Pressure Disorder the Most?

MINNEAPOLIS 鈥 Black and Hispanic women may be more likely than white women to have a brain pressure disorder called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, according to a study published in the May 12, 2021, online issue of , the medical journal of the 好色先生. The disorder may also be more common in women who live in low-income areas or in areas with more fast-food restaurants and convenience stores than grocery stores, also known as 鈥渇ood swamps.鈥 Idiopathic intracranial hypertension occurs when there is increased pressure in the fluid surrounding the brain with no other apparent cause. It causes chronic, disabling headaches, vision problems and in rare cases, permanent vision loss. It is most often diagnosed in women of childbearing age. Obesity is the primary risk factor for the condition. 鈥淲e found that women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension were more than twice as likely to be Black than people who did not have the condition, even after we adjusted for their body mass index, so we believe that racial differences are not explained solely by obesity,鈥 said study author Venkatesh Brahma, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 鈥淥ur results provide some support for racial disparities that can be seen in this condition. Though at least some of this relationship is driven by the link between obesity and idiopathic intracranial hypertension with low-income neighborhoods and food swamps, it does not fully explain the differences, and other systemic health disparities are likely involved.鈥 The study involved women who were seen by a neuro-ophthalmologist at the university over eight years鈥223 women who had intracranial hypertension and 4,783 who did not. Researchers looked at participants鈥 health records and then used their addresses to determine information about the neighborhoods in which they live. Among the women with the condition, 48% were white, 47% were Black and 5% were Hispanic, while among the women without the condition, 77% were white, 20% were Black and 3% were Hispanic. After adjusting for other factors, such as age and low-income neighborhood, women with the condition were more than three times as likely to be Black and twice as likely to be Hispanic. However, after researchers adjusted for body mass index, women with the condition were no longer more likely to be Hispanic than white, while they were more than twice as likely to be Black. 鈥淎dditional studies are needed to help us understand the link between race, ethnicity, access to healthy foods, exposure to unhealthy foods, other social determinants of health, and idiopathic intracranial hypertension,鈥 Brahma said. 鈥淥ur findings suggest that multiple factors are likely involved.鈥 A limitation of the study was the participants may not be representative of all people with idiopathic intracranial hypertension due to the university鈥檚 proximity to low-income neighborhoods. The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Learn more about brain health at , home of the 好色先生鈥檚 free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life on , and . When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the hashtags #Neurology and #AANscience.

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The 好色先生 is the leading voice in brain health. As the world鈥檚 largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with more than 40,000 members, the AAN provides access to the latest news, science and research affecting neurology for patients, caregivers, physicians and professionals alike. The AAN鈥檚 mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all. A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, care and treatment of brain, spinal cord and nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, concussion, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, headache and migraine.

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