Benign intracranial hypertension: a clinical lesson

The case of a young woman who suffered from benign intracranial hypertension is described. The clinical history, examination and investigations indicated no cause for her disease, other than obesity. Treatment with corticosteroids prolonged her symptoms and signs, and she only responded to repeated lumbar puncture after dexamethasone was stopped. The lesson we learned was that corticosteroids should rarely be given in benign intracranial hypertension.