Diuretic's effectivess unknown for treating IIH
A rare but increasingly more common disease striking overweight, younger women is the focus of a clinical trial at Michigan State University, where an osteopathic physician is testing the effectiveness of a certain drug against a potentially blindness-causing ailment.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, known as IIH or pseudo-tumor cerebri, is a neurological disease resulting in increased pressure around the brain, specifically in the absence of a tumor. Symptoms include severe headaches, nausea and double vision, and if left untreated, IIH can lead to vision loss and blindness.
Eric Eggenberger, professor and associate chairperson in MSU's Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology, is leading a clinical trial to test the ability of a commonly used diuretic known as acetazolamide in reducing or reversing vision loss in patients with IIH. Diuretics are drugs that increase the rate of urination.
"While weight loss is always recommended for women suffering from IIH, many other treatments are used to battle the disease by decreasing pressure around the brain," said Eggenberger, a member of MSU's HealthTeam.
"The problem is, none of these strategies have been verified by clinical trials, and there is no compelling evidence on which treatments work best and why."
In addition, he said, more evidence is needed on the potential side effects of drugs such as acetazolamide.