What Is Papilledema?
7. Can Lifestyle and Diet Help Ease Papilledema?
Maintaining a healthy weight can help maintain normal intracranial pressure, considering that excess body weight can lead to hypertension including idiopathic intracranial hypertension, one of the causes of increased intracranial pressure. Besides, overall body health can benefit by maintaining a healthy body weight.
Ways to maintain healthy body weight include eating a healthy diet that contains fruits, vegetables, is low in salt, drinking adequate amounts of water, and exercising regularly. Some medications such as corticosteroids, lithium, isotretinoin, and tetracycline may increase intracranial pressure, which can lead to papilledema. For this reason, papilledema patients should avoid these drugs and request for alternatives in case they need medications for some conditions. Additionally, patients with papilledema should sleep with their heads and trunks elevated to about 30 degrees to help lower intracranial pressure.
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