Risk factors of aseptic intracranial venous occlusive disease

Introduction – Risk factors for aseptic intracranial venous occlusive disease are varied but only few epidemiologic studies were performed to verify the relative importance of particular factors. Patients and methods – A 2-year hospital-based prospective study was conducted in two hospitals to identify the clinical characteristics and risk factors of patients with confirmed aseptic intracranial venous occlusive disease. Results – 21 patients were identified, representing 0.9% of the total neurological admissions. Men were more commonly affected than women; 81% of the patients presented in a clinical picture indistinguishable from idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Risk factors included Behçet's disease in 4, the puerperium in 3, thrombophelia in 3, familial Mediterranean fever in 2, malignancies in 1, lupus anticoagulant in 1, and the contraceptive pill in 1. Conclusion – Aseptic intracranial venous occlusive disease proved to be not rare in Arabs. It should be considered seriously in the differential diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension, particularly in males. Several risk factors were incriminated.