According to experts at Johns Hopkins, pseudotumor cerebri is a rare enough disorder that it is hard to diagnose, despite its serious nature. As pseudotumor cerebri may be caused by certain forms of birth control, the condition is at the heart of a pseudotumor cerebri class action investigation.

Because pseudotumor cerebri is somewhat rare, most of the terms used to describe it and related conditions are steeped in medical jargon. For example, pseudotumor cerebri is caused by a buildup of excessive fluid in the skull, a condition physicians call “intracranial hypertension.” In medical terms, this means inside the skull (“intracranial”), there is a dangerous amount of pressure (“hypertension”).

The possible intracranial pressure causes include an overproduction of cerebrospinal fluid or damage to the mechanisms that usually absorb excess fluid around the brain. More indirectly, intracranial pressure causes can include certain common drugs, including contraceptives, as well as physical trauma to the brain.

Pseudotumor cerebri can cause other medical problems. The intracranial hypertension can produce a closely related condition called a papilledema. The papilledema definition is that pressure builds up around the optical disc of the eye. This is responsible for many of the symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri.

The optical disc is a bundle of nerves that forms the connection between the eye and the optic nerve. Papilledema causes many of the most obvious symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri. This pressure on the eye and optic nerve can cause vision problems, like tunnel vision, burred vision, and even blindness.

Some patients report flashing of light and moments of blindness. It almost always affects both eyes. Technically, the papilledema definition only includes swelling caused by pseudotumor cerebri and similar conditions.

Treatment for pseudotumor cerebri and papilledema vary by the exact nature of the case. For short-term cases of these conditions, doctors may be able to relieve the pressure with medication or a spinal tap. However, more chronic cases of pseudotumor cerebri and papilledema may require surgeons to implant a shunt into the skull to drain excess fluid.

Many cases of pseudotumor cerebri remain idiopathic, a medical term for “unexplained” by current science. However, many cases can be linked to medication, including various forms of birth control.

A class action pseudotumor cerebri lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of legal action over the allegation that drug companies were aware — or reasonably should have been aware — of the potential risk of pseudotumor cerebri allegedly linked to various contraceptives. Such a pseudotumor cerebri lawsuit could allege that drug makers were aware of the alleged risk of pseudotumor cerebri, and failed to do enough to protect the public.