Hypertensive syndrome is understood as a condition that appears against the background of pathological processes accompanied by an increase in intracranial pressure. Other names for this disease are cerebrospinal fluid or hypertensive hydrocephalic syndrome.
Disease Description
Hypertension syndrome accounts for most headaches. An increase in intracranial pressure occurs against a background of stagnation of blood in the veins. The latter, in turn, often arises as a result of the development of pathologies of the spine in the cervical region, such as osteochondrosis.
Excess cerebrospinal fluid, or cerebrospinal fluid, appears in the trunk of the spinal cord, disrupting circulation. As a result, cerebrospinal fluid stagnates in the ventricles of the brain and inside its membranes, which leads to an excess of blood in the veins with a further expansion of the cavities occupied by the fluid.
Views
Hypertension syndrome is divided into several varieties, taking into account the age of the patient:
- Syndrome in newborns.
- Pathology in older children.
- Hydrocephalus in adults.
In infancy, the appearance of increased intracranial pressure is due to congenital diseases. In the case of an older group of patients, the pathology is acquired.
Causes
Hypertension syndrome can affect patients of any age. If we talk about adults, then men are most susceptible to it. In the case of a child, both boys and girls can suffer from this pathology.
As mentioned above, there is a congenital and acquired variety of hydrocephalus. The reasons that provoke the appearance of a congenital syndrome can be:
- Complications accompanying pregnancy.
- Severely giving birth.
- Hypoxia in the fetus.
- Birth of a baby prematurely, up to 34 weeks.
- Removal and late delivery after 42nd week.
- Head injury during childbirth.
- Intrauterine infectious diseases.
- Congenital defects of the brain.
- A long waterless period of more than twelve hours.
In neurological practice, hypertension syndrome in children is diagnosed as a consequence of perinatal encephalopathy, that is, as pathologies of the brain of unknown origin.
Provocative factors
The acquired form of this syndrome can develop against the background of factors such as:
- Tumor masses, cysts, hematomas, abscesses.
- The presence of a foreign body in the area of the brain.
- Traumatic brain injury. Especially if fragments of the skull bones remain in the brain.
- Sharp increases in pressure of unknown origin.
- Infectious diseases.
- Stroke and complications after it.
- Disorders in the endocrine system.
An infectious disease often accompanies hypertension syndrome. Along with the causes, the clinical manifestations of the disease in children and adults also differ.
Symptoms in adults
The main sign of the appearance of hypertension syndrome in an adult patient is a headache. Its manifestations are most noticeable in the mornings and evenings, when the human body is in a horizontal position. It is in such conditions that the release of liquid is activated, and its absorption rate also decreases.
Another sign of hypertension syndrome is nausea, periodically turning into vomiting. Most often, these symptoms appear in the morning.
Other signs
In addition, there are a number of other signs:
- Severe nervousness and irritability.
- Increased fatigue both after physical and after mental stress.
- Decreased libido.
- A condition close to fainting. With hypertensive syndrome in adults, this happens quite often.
- Blood pressure drops.
- Dependence of human condition on weather conditions.
- Heart palpitations.
- Increased sweating.
- Dark circles in the eye area and a mesh of small veins.
Similar symptoms are also typical of other diseases of the brain, therefore, clarifying the diagnosis may require a thorough examination and collection of a detailed history.
How does hypertension syndrome manifest in children?
Symptoms in children
For a newborn child with this ailment, restless behavior and sleep problems are characteristic. A child often cries for no apparent reason. In some cases, sweating, changes in body temperature and nausea, accompanied by vomiting, were noted. A neurologist during the examination can diagnose hydrocephalus by the following signs:
- An increase in the large fontanel.
- The small fontanel is open.
- Sutures between the bones of the skull are also open.
- In the forehead and temples, a convex network of saphenous veins is visualized.
- Abnormal growth of head circumference.
- A strip of protein is observed above the iris of the eye.
In addition, a decrease in muscle tone is characteristic of newborns with hypertension syndrome. Sometimes the baby refuses to feed and does not respond well to the chest. The child also lacks a pronounced swallowing reflex.
Patients at an older age have a severe headache in the morning. There is nausea and the urge to vomit. It is difficult for the child to raise his eyes and painful sensations are a simple turn of the head. Children feel weak, as well as dizziness, the skin turns pale, there is an increased sensitivity to light and loud sounds. Symptoms of hypertension syndrome are very unpleasant.
Diagnostics
The pathology is identified on the basis of a comprehensive diagnosis, which should include both instrumental research methods and clinical ones. The patient needs to go through several specialists to clarify the diagnosis. As a rule, first of all, the examination is performed by a neurologist, psychiatrist, ophthalmologist and neurosurgeon, and in the case of newborns, also a neonatologist.
In order to find out the exact cause of the pathological process and diagnose "hypertension syndrome", the following medical procedures are performed:
- X-ray examination of the skull. In the case of children, the procedure is performed only after the child reaches the age of one.
- Echoencephalography reveals possible brain damage.
- Rheoencephalogram. It is carried out to assess the outflow of blood from veins.
- Electroencephalography is used to determine the level of brain activity through electrical impulses.
- Examination of the fundus to detect hemorrhage, edema and spasms of blood vessels.
- Cerebrospinal puncture to detect pressure under the influence of cerebrospinal fluid.
- Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.
In children under the age of one year, the fontanel is not yet overgrown, so neurosonography is performed in newborns using ultrasound scanning.
Adult Treatment
Therapy is selected on the basis of a full examination. As a rule, the treatment regimen is prescribed by a neurologist. Treatment can be either conservative or radical using surgical methods.
Hypertension syndrome is a danger to human life, therefore, appropriate treatment should be started as soon as possible after diagnosis. An important stage of treatment is the administration of diuretics. They make it possible to quickly remove liquor and accelerate the process of its absorption. If the disease has a relapsing nature, such therapy should be carried out continuously.
With a mild degree of hydrocephalus, the doctor makes several important recommendations that must be followed:
- Normalization of the drinking regime.
- Performing special gymnastic exercises that reduce intracranial pressure.
- Manual therapy and osteopathy for unloading the vein bed.
To normalize the dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid and eliminate stagnation, diuretics are prescribed, for example, Furosemide, Diacarb, Acetazolamide, etc. Cinnarizine and Cavinton contribute to the normalization of blood circulation in the brain. If the fact of an infectious brain lesion is established, then antibacterial drugs are added to the therapeutic regimen. The dosage and mode of administration of the latter are selected taking into account the age of the patient and the nature of the disease.
In addition, physiotherapeutic treatment methods are used. This can be acupuncture, circular douche, electrophoresis, etc. Therapeutic exercise is also important in the treatment of hydrocephalus. Swimming and regular walks give a positive result. Exercise should not be excessively intense.
Consider the treatment of hypertension syndrome in children below.
Therapy in children
If the ailment is congenital in nature, its treatment must be carried out during the first year of a child's life. This condition is explained by the need to prevent the development of complications and developmental delays.
Therapy in childhood is aimed at reducing the amount of cerebrospinal fluid produced. In addition, it is necessary to accelerate the outflow process from the veins. To achieve these goals, the following appointments are made:
- "Furosemide."
- "Diacarb."
- Magnesium sulfate in the form of a 25% solution.
- Glycerin in a 50% solution.
- "Eufillin", "Rigematin" and "Sorbitol" in the form of a solution.
This therapeutic regimen reduces intracranial pressure. When hypertension syndrome is not caused by a neoplasm in the brain, it is permissible to use physiotherapeutic methods of treatment, as well as massage.
The treatment is supplemented with the intake of B vitamins, Aminalon, various nootropic drugs, Lipocerebrin and glutamic acid. Sometimes drugs with a sedative effect are used.
If the symptoms worsen, then the treatment is transferred to the conditions of inpatient observation. For children, it is necessary to create conditions to reduce the amount of crying to a minimum. It is very important to establish a regimen, walk regularly and avoid infection.
Most often it is possible to establish intracranial pressure after 6-12 months of therapy. However, the disease itself can remain and periodically make itself felt. You need to visit a neurologist twice a year.
As for surgical treatment, the need for it appears if hypertension syndrome is caused by the presence of a tumor, abscess or hematoma. Most often, brain cavities are bypassed, which allows to restore the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid. Also, surgical intervention may be required in the case when there is a blockage of blood vessels.
Complications
What are the consequences of hypertension syndrome?
Hydrocephalus is a danger to patients of any age group. The most difficult consequences of this disease are as follows:
- Fontanel swelling.
- Lag in physical development.
- Fecal and urinary incontinence.
- Blindness and deafness.
- Epileptic seizures.
- Paralysis.
- Coma.
Full recovery is possible at any age. But the treatment of the disease must be started at the initial stage of the disease, while it is not yet accompanied by various complications.