fluid (CSF) in the brain. For instance, a cerebrospinal fluid leak may initially be treated medically with this medication to reduce the volume of leakage, and promote healing of the fistula. Similarly, in Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, reduction of CSF production by the choroid plexi may reduce intracranial pressures and reduce symptoms of elevated intracranial pressure such as retroorbital headaches and loss of vision. The mechanism is thought to involve inhibition of carbonic anhydrase (CA) within the choroidal epithelial cells, reducing the production of protons which are necessary for the osmotic transport of water and ions which constitute CSF. Epilepsy Acetazolamide is effective in the treatment of most types of seizures, including generalized tonic-clonic and focal seizures and especially absence seizures, although it has limited utility because tolerance develops with chronic use. The drug is occasionally used on an intermittent basis to prevent seizures in catamenial epilepsy. The sulfur-containing antiseizure and antimigraine drug topiramate is a weak inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, particularly subtypes II and IV. Whether carbonic anhydrase inhibition contributes to its clinical activity is not known. In rare cases, the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase may be strong enough to cause metabolic acidosis of clinical importance. Zonisamide is another sulfur containing antiseizure drug that weakly inhibits carbonic anhydrase. Sultiame is also an example of an anticonvulsant drug of this class. Altitude sickness At high altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen is lower and people have to breathe more rapidly to get adequate oxygen. When this happens, the partial pressure of in the lungs (p) decreases (is "blown off"), causing a respiratory alkalosis. This would normally be compensated by the kidney excreting bicarbonate and causing compensatory metabolic acidosis, but this mechanism takes several days. A more immediate treatment is carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, which prevent bicarbonate uptake in the kidney and help correct the alkalosis. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors have also been shown to improve chronic mountain sickness. Contraindications Hepatic cirrhosis Adverse effects Loss of bicarbonate may result in metabolic acidosis. In plants Ellagitannins extracted from the pericarps of Punica granatum, the pomegranate, such as punicalin, punicalagin, granatin B, gallagyldilactone, casuarinin, pedunculagin and tellimagrandin I, are carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. References External links