Pseudotumour cerebri associated with minocycline therapy for acne

Manifestations of Pediatric Intracranial Hypertension From the Intracranial Hypertension Registry

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine the presenting symptoms, demographics, and interventions in pediatric patients enrolled in the Intracranial Hypertension Registry.

METHODS

We analyzed confirmed intracranial hypertension patients ≤18 years at the time of initial diagnosis who were enrolled in the registry.

RESULTS

A total of 203 patients met the criteria for inclusion; 142 (70%) were considered primary intracranial hypertension. Females made up 72.5% (103 of 142) and 75.8% (47 of 61) in the primary intracranial hypertension and secondary intracranial hypertension groups, respectively. There were no clinically significant differences in age, body mass index, or opening pressure between the primary intracranial hypertension and secondary intracranial hypertension groups. Symptoms most often reported were headache and blurred vision. Bilateral optic disc edema occurred in 89.3% of primary intracranial hypertension and 78.7% of secondary intracranial hypertension patients. When divided into pre- and postpubertal status, 32.5% of patients were classified prepubertal; 77.3% of these had primary intracranial hypertension. This resulted in a female to male ratio of 1:1.04 for prepubertal and 6:1 for postpubertal primary intracranial hypertension patients. The body mass index was significantly higher in the postpubertal primary intracranial hypertension group (P = 0.0014). There was no significant difference in opening pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

The common symptoms of intracranial hypertension, including headache, optic disc edema, and vision changes, occurred with similar frequencies in our cohort to those reported in the literature. In separate subanalyses, we found significantly higher rates of obesity in postpubertal females with primary intracranial hypertension. The female-to-male ratios in the postpubertal primary intracranial hypertension and secondary intracranial hypertension groups were higher than reported in the literature.

Safety of doxycycline and minocycline: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this review was to summarize the available literature covering the safety profiles of oral doxycycline and minocycline.

METHODS

Scientific literature published between 1966 and August 2003 was searched using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Biosis databases (search terms: minocycline or doxycycline, each paired with adverse reaction, adverse event, and side effect, and doxycycline or minocycline with the limits English language, human, and clinical trials). Safety information was collected from case reports and clinical trials. Adverse event (AE) rates in the United States were calculated by comparing data from the MedWatch AE reporting program used by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the number of new prescriptions dispensed for each drug from January 1998 to August 2003.

RESULTS

Between 1966 and 2003, a total of 130 and 333 AEs were published in case reports of doxycycline and minocycline, respectively. In 24 doxycycline clinical trials (n = 3833) and 11 minocycline trials (n = 788), the ranges in incidence of AEs were 0% to 61% and 11.7% to 83.3%, respectively. Gastrointestinal AEs were most common with doxycycline; central nervous system and gastrointestinal AEs were most common with minocycline. From January 1998 to August 2003, the FDA MedWatch data contained 628 events for doxycycline and 1099 events for minocycline reported in the United States. Approximately 47,630,000 doxycycline and 15,234,000 minocycline new prescriptions were dispensed in the United States during that period, yielding event rates of 13 per million for doxycycline and 72 per million for minocycline, based on FDA data.

CONCLUSIONS

Between 1998 and 2003, doxycycline was prescribed 3 times as often as minocycline. The incidence of AEs with either drug is very low, but doxycycline had fewer reported AEs. Although more head-to-head clinical trials are needed for a direct comparison of AE frequency, these preliminary data from separate reports suggest the possibility that AEs may be less likely with doxycycline than minocycline.

Medication-induced intracranial hypertension in dermatology

Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is a syndrome of intracranial hypertension that is idiopathic or from an identified secondary cause. It is characterized by headaches and visual manifestations. The hallmark of PTC is papilledema and the feared consequence is visual loss that may be severe and permanent. The idiopathic form generally occurs in obese women of childbearing age. Various medications may produce PTC in patients at any age, including children. Several medications used in dermatology, particularly those used in the treatment of acne vulgaris, are associated with PTC. There is a strong association with tetracycline usage. Minocycline and doxycycline have also been linked to PTC, although there are relatively few reported cases. PTC has also been described with retinoids, including vitamin A (retinol) and isotretinoin. Although corticosteroids are often used to lower intracranial pressure acutely, corticosteroid withdrawal after long-term administration may induce increased intracranial pressure. A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and treatment generally yield a good prognosis.

The outcome of pseudotumor cerebri induced by tetracycline therapy

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the association between tetracycline treatment and pseudotumor cerebri (PTC).

METHODS

Consecutive patients from two neuro-ophthalmic referral centers, who developed PTC syndrome post-treatment with tetracycline, were enrolled and followed for a minimum of 2 years after cessation of tetracycline.

RESULTS

A total of 243 consecutive patients were diagnosed with PTC; 18 had concurrent history of tetracycline treatment; a third experienced a limited course of illness with no relapses; 12 had a variable course with a prolonged relapsing illness. Mean duration of tetracycline treatment prior to diagnosis was 2.73 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Tetracycline, and especially minocycline, is currently considered a cause or a precipitating factor for PTC. Although there is little information on the natural course of tetracycline induced PTC, the present cases demonstrate that drug withdrawal is curative only in some patients.

Pseudotumor cerebri

Pseudotumor cerebri is a perplexing syndrome of increased intra-cranial pressure without a space-occupying lesion. The terminology for the disorder has changed over the years and the diagnostic criteria revised to reflect advances in diagnostic technology and insights into the disease process. The classification and nomenclature depend on the presence or absence of an underlying cause. When the diagnostic criteria are followed, a secondary etiology is unlikely. When no secondary cause is identified, the syndrome is termed "idiopathic intracranial hypertension."

Pediatric tetracycline-induced pseudotumor cerbri

BACKGROUND

Tetracyclines have long been recognized as a cause of pseudotumor cerebri in adults, but the role of tetracyclines in the pediatric age group has not been well characterized in the literature and there have been few reported cases. We present 6 cases to better delineate the problem, the patient profile, the response to treatment, and the sequelae.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the records of all patients admitted with a diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri who had documented usage of a tetracycline-class drug immediately before presentation at the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, from January 1, 1986, to March 1, 1996.

RESULTS

Six patients (5 female, 1 male) who met all inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified; their ages ranged from 12 to 17 years. All were being treated for acne vulgaris. Duration of use before diagnosis was as short as 2 weeks and as long as 10 months, with a mean of 4.4 months. Duration of symptoms ranged from 0.57 to 4 weeks. Symptoms included headache (6 of 6), nausea (5 of 6), and diplopia (4 of 6). All for whom height and weight data were known (5 of 6) were in the upper quartile for body mass index. Visual acuity was 6/6 in all but 1 eye of one patient (6/9) at diagnosis, and final visual acuity was 6/6 in all patients. All had normal color vision, where this was recorded (5 of 6). The only recorded field defect was enlargement of the blind spot (4 of 6). All patients responded to treatment, with loss of symptoms in 1 day to 4 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Pseudotumor cerebri as a result of tetracycline-class drugs does occur in the pediatric population. With prompt and appropriate medical treatment, long-term sequelae can almost always be avoided. Physicians who treat patients with tetracyclines need to be aware of the potential complications in children.

Minocycline treatment and pseudotumor cerebri syndrome

PURPOSE

To demonstrate the association between minocycline treatment and development of the pseudotumor cerebri syndrome.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted of 12 patients from five neuro-ophthalmic referral centers who developed pseudotumor cerebri syndrome after being treated with standard doses of minocycline for refractory acne vulgaris. The main outcome measures included resolution of headaches, transient visual obscurations, diplopia, papilledema, and visual fields static thresholds after withdrawal of minocycline and treatment for increased intracranial pressure.

RESULTS

Nine (75%) of the 12 patients developed symptoms of the pseudotumor cerebri syndrome syndrome within 8 weeks of starting minocycline therapy; six were not obese. Two patients developed symptoms only after a year had elapsed because of commencement of treatment with minocycline. One patient was asymptomatic, and pseudotumor cerebri syndrome was diagnosed by finding papilledema on routine examination 1 year after minocycline was started. None of the patients developed recurrences for at least 1 year after the discontinuation of minocycline and treatment for increased intracranial pressure, but three (25%) of the 12 patients had substantial residual visual field loss.

CONCLUSION

Minocycline is a cause or precipitating factor in pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. Although most patients have prominent symptoms and are diagnosed promptly, others are asymptomatic and may have optic disk edema for a long period of time before diagnosis. Withdrawal of minocycline and treatment for increased intracranial pressure lead to resolution of the pseudotumor cerebri syndrome, but visual field loss may persist.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension associated with tetracycline use in fraternal twins: case reports and review

Fraternal twin sisters developed idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) shortly after beginning tetracycline for treatment of acne. We reviewed from the literature 19 familial cases of IIH and 37 cases of IIH associated with tetracycline usage. Among the 37 combined adult and pediatric cases, 26 of 37 had resolution of signs or symptoms of IIH within hours to days of stopping the antibiotic, and rapid recurrence with reinitiation of drug occurred in 4 of 37. We suggest that these cases may be tetracycline-induced, may be related to an underlying genetic susceptibility, and support the notion of multifactorial etiologies for IIH.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children: the Iowa experience

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is an uncommon condition in children and is seen only about once a year in a large referral hospital. Sex incidence is equal, and obesity is a feature in about one third of patients. This article reviews the 30-year experience in an institution where idiopathic intracranial hypertension in adults has been extensively studied. Symptomatic causes of intracranial hypertension and both medical and surgical therapeutic options are reviewed.

Pediatric pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)

This review focuses on the features of pseudotumor cerebri in the pediatric age group. There is no sex predilection in children, and obesity does not appear to be an important factor. Infants and young children may present with irritability, apathy, or somnolence, rather than headache. Dizziness and ataxia may also occur. Papilledema is infrequently noted in pediatric patients if the fontanelles are open or the sutures are split. Pre-adolescents appear more likely than adults or adolescents to have manifestations of their pseudotumor cerebri other than headache and papilledema, including lateral rectus pareses, vertical strabismus, facial paresis, back and neck pain. Among the etiologies that are particularly pertinent to children are tetracycline therapy, malnutrition or renutrition, and the correction of hypothyroidism. Children with pseudotumor cerebri are at risk for visual loss and their visual function must be closely monitored. Surgical intervention is imperative when vision is threatened.

Pseudotumor cerebri--a complication of tetracycline treatment of acne

A female adolescent on tetracycline therapy for a dermatologic condition developed pseudotumor cerebri resulting in impaired visual acuity and papilledema. The therapy of pseudotumor cerebri is discussed.

Tetracycline and benign intracranial hypertension: report of five cases

Benign intracranial hypertension occurred in four young women taking tetracycline for acne; two were also taking vitamin A. In a fifth case a 14-year-old boy developed papilloedema after taking a short course of tetracycline for bronchitis. All symptoms disappeared soon after stopping the drugs, though in two cases the papilloedema persisted for many months. Benign intracranial hypertension should be sought in any young woman complaining of headache during treatment with tetracycline. Moreover, young women given vitamin A and tetracycline in combination for acne may be at special risk and should be kept under surveillance.