Which symptom is NOT typically associated with increased intracranial pressure?

• A. Headache
• B. Vomiting
• C. Papilledema
• D. Chest pain

Answer: (D)

When intracranial pressure rises, the symptoms reflect pressure effects on the brain and its coverings. Headache occurs from stretching of the meninges, vomiting comes from stimulation of the brainstem’s vomiting center, and papilledema results from venous congestion that backs up into the optic nerve head. Chest pain, on the other hand, does not arise from intracranial pressure changes; it points to cardiopulmonary or other systemic processes. So the symptom that does not fit the pattern of increased intracranial pressure is chest pain.