Changes in intracranial pressure are very dangerous for the life of the child. Unfortunately, increased intracranial pressure is often found in newborns, which are especially difficult to determine in time changes in the brain. You can read about what is intracranial pressure in infants, the symptoms of this disease, in this article.
What is intracranial pressure?
Our brain is 1/10 part of the cerebrospinal fluid, which is also called cerebrospinal fluid. This substance fills the ventricles of the brain, circulates between the membranes and in the spinal canal. Liquor also creates pressure in these areas. Its functions are diverse: it protects the soft tissues of the brain in the event of an impact, supports the proper functioning of the gray matter and removes toxins from it.
Intracranial pressure may be normal, elevated or decreased. Increased intracranial pressure, which is also called hypertension syndrome, is dangerous. The volume of cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull increases, it begins to put pressure on the brain, disrupting its work. Both children and adults suffer from this ailment. Increased pressure inside the skull can lead to irreversible neurological changes, and not everyone pays attention to the symptoms of the disease.
How is it dangerous for babies?
How does high intracranial pressure appear? The development of this disease always goes in one of two ways:
- In the first case, the pressure inside the head rises due to an increase in blood flow and a decrease in its outflow. As a result, blood overflows the blood vessels, and plasma tissue impregnation occurs, the result of which is hydrocephalus - an increased head volume.
- In the second case, ICP rises due to the proliferation of brain tissue, which mutate due to tumor processes.
For whatever reason, cerebrospinal fluid growth would not occur, if pathological changes were not noticed in time, the consequences could be irreversible. What is the danger of increased ICP for infants? The presence of cerebrospinal fluid above normal is only a symptom of other diseases that treatment should be directed to:
- diseases of the central nervous system, such as meningitis, syphilis and encephalitis may be accompanied by increased intracranial pressure;
- various infectious diseases (otitis media, malaria);
- head injuries, stroke;
- drugs that affect the retention of fluid in the tissues and, as a result, an increase in cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull.
Absolutely all of the above diseases have very serious consequences, which, if left idle, can lead to death.
Norms of intracranial pressure for children
Intracranial pressure is indicated in millimeters of mercury. From the point of view of physics, this parameter indicates how much higher the pressure inside the skull in humans compared to atmospheric. Normally, ICP in children is slightly lower than in adults. For people over 18 years old, the norm is an indicator of 10-15 mmHg. In newborns, an ideal ICP can be considered 1.5-6 mm Hg. From 3 to 7 years, this figure changes and the norm becomes 3-7 mm Hg, and in children from 10 years of age, the ICP is already close to "adult" indicators and amounts to 10-15 mm Hg.
An increase in intracranial pressure above standard marks is extremely dangerous for the patient's health. The critical mark is 30 mmHg, because such pressure leads to irreversible damage to brain cells and death. That is why it is extremely important to diagnose increased ICP in time and start its treatment. But to do it at home, without the appropriate equipment and devices is impossible. Examination and detection of this disease is carried out only in hospitals. But the first symptoms and signs of hypertension can be detected independently.
Intracranial pressure in infants: symptoms
Newborn babies are often whiny and moody. Not all mothers can understand what worries the baby: colic, pain or something else. And high cerebrospinal fluid pressure often disappears asymptomatically until it reaches critical levels. Here are some symptoms of increased intracranial pressure in infants:
- Too rapid enlargement of the baby’s head, not in accordance with developmental standards. If your child’s head is disproportionately large compared to the body, this may indicate a high intracranial pressure in the baby. Also, a swollen fontanel testifies to it: it is not in vain that it is checked at every appointment with a pediatrician. This is one of the most accurate methods for diagnosing intracranial pressure without special instruments.
- Delay in psycho-emotional and physical development.
- Frequent crying and anxiety of a child may indicate that the baby is disturbed by pain in the head due to high blood pressure.
- Gref’s syndrome or the setting sun syndrome looks like rolling your eyes down and the appearance of a white strip between the upper eyelid and the iris of the eyeball. Other disturbances in the gaze (strabismus) can also be symptoms of high intracranial pressure.
- Regurgitation is the most common symptom of this disease. Vomiting in infants is a very dangerous symptom, the appearance of which requires a mandatory examination by a doctor.
- Convulsions appear even in advanced cases and indicate that cerebrospinal fluid compresses the brain so that its departments begin to not receive the necessary oxygen.
An increase in the number of cerebrospinal fluid can occur slowly, gradually, and can rapidly and quickly. In the latter case, the child has vomiting, loss of consciousness, or convulsions. Such situations are urgent, so parents need to call an ambulance as soon as possible and go to the hospital.
Symptoms of ICP in older children
If the baby has increased intracranial pressure, then this can only be guessed by external signs. But older children can talk about how they feel:
- headaches, pressure in the eye area, worse at night;
- drowsiness and fatigue, uncharacteristic for children of this age;
- violation of visual and auditory perception;
- violation in coordination of movements or in fine motor skills.
Causes of intracranial pressure in children
ICP is congenital and acquired. Sometimes children are born with already high blood pressure due to pathologies of intrauterine development. In infants, intracranial pressure may be due to birth injuries, during which the cervical vertebrae are damaged and cerebrospinal fluid outflow is disturbed. Also, hypoxia can become a cause due to the entanglement of the umbilical cord or other factors. In this case, cerebral edema and increased pressure appear. Other causes of accumulation of too much fluid in the brain include intrauterine infections and congenital genetic pathologies.
Acquired increased intracranial pressure in children appears due to infectious diseases, tumors, oncological diseases, decreased ability of the body to remove excess fluid, or due to head injuries.
Diagnostic Methods
By signs of increased intracranial pressure in the baby, one can only guess about the general condition of the child. But in medical institutions there is always the opportunity to do a reliable study. How to determine intracranial pressure in infants?
- Ultrasound of the brain does not give a 100% picture of the state of the brain, but it allows you to determine the size of the ventricles. If they are increased, then the pressure inside the skull is increased.
- The study of blood vessels with the help of Doppler allows you to determine the effectiveness of the blood vessels and to understand whether they are clogged.
- Computed tomography and MRI can not serve as direct evidence of high blood pressure, but can show ventricular expansion, which indirectly indicates this.
- Lumbar puncture - taking a sample of cerebrospinal fluid with a special needle. This method is most indicative, since it allows you to determine not only intracranial pressure, but also the presence of inflammation of the brain tissue.
- ICP can be recognized by the introduction of a needle into the ventricles. It is impossible to do this without craniotomy.
Other common methods in the post-Soviet space, such as encephalography or Voll diagnostics, cannot confirm the presence or absence of increased pressure, so it is better not to spend money and time on them.
What to do if a child has ICP?
It is rarely possible to meet a parent who is interested in children's health and has never heard of the term “intracranial pressure”. Modern medicine does not consider increasing the amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull as a separate disease, it only indicates other, more serious ailments. They can cause serious conditions and even death, so self-medication with ICP can not be. If one of the above symptoms is detected, you should immediately consult a doctor and, if there is evidence, continue the examination in a hospital.
Treatment
Reviews of intracranial pressure in infants show that this symptom is mainly a consequence of other diseases. And treatment should primarily be aimed at them. As additional measures to remove excess cerebrospinal fluid, medicinal and surgical methods can be distinguished. Medications include:
- Means for improving blood circulation and eliminating hypoxia in the brain: Actovegin, Pantogam, Cortexin.
- Diuretics: Diakarb, Triampur, Furosemide. They help to cope with excess fluid in the body and reduce intracranial pressure.
- Nootropics can also improve blood circulation in the brain, but these drugs are dietary supplements rather than drugs.
- "Magnesium B6."
With an extreme increase in intracranial pressure, neurosurgical methods are used:
- decompression trepanation of the skull with subsequent pumping of fluid;
- external ventular drainage;
- ventriculoperitoneal or cystoperitoneal shunting.
But usually doctors prescribe conservative treatment: diuretics are the basis of it, and the treatment of the underlying disease is carried out in parallel. Nootropics are prescribed as adjuvants to restore brain function. In this case, the patient needs to ensure peace and eliminate all irritants.
Expert Advice
Treatment of intracranial pressure in infants has its own characteristics. The decision on the appointment of drugs in babies can only be made by a narrow specialist doctor based on appropriate examinations. In no case should you prescribe diuretics or other drugs on your own. Symptoms may disappear, but the underlying disease will remain. Naturally, there is no question of any folk remedies for eliminating intracranial pressure in infants.
Preventive measures
As such, preventive measures to prevent the development of increased intracranial pressure do not exist. The only way to protect the baby from an insidious disease is to watch him. If the baby had birth injuries or concussions, if he hit his head or fell from a height, then he is at risk. Such children are best able to help regular examination by a neurologist and prolonged breastfeeding. We must not forget that almost all newborns up to six months have elevated indicators of pressure inside the skull, which are due to the bone structure of infants. It will not be superfluous to provide long walks in the fresh air, which will help saturate the brain with oxygen and improve its blood circulation. And if you have a suspicion that the baby has a headache, then a couple of drops of lavender oil rubbed into the temple can become an effective remedy for this.
Summary
Young children are often tearful and irritable. But this may be a symptom of increased intracranial pressure. To protect their child, each parent simply needs to know the main signs of intracranial pressure in infants. And in the event of the presence of one or more symptoms, undergo a diagnosis and receive the necessary treatment.