Which of the following is a cause of vasogenic edema?

• A. Ingested toxins
• B. Hydrocephalus
• C. Destructive lesions or trauma
• D. Interst edema due to cytotoxic swelling

Answer: (A)

Vasogenic edema occurs when the blood-brain barrier is damaged, allowing fluid from the intravascular space to leak into the brain's extracellular spaces, especially in the white matter. Ingested toxins can injure the capillary endothelium and disrupt the tight junctions that normally keep fluids inside vessels. When those barriers break down, plasma proteins and fluid seep into the extracellular tissue, producing the characteristic extracellular swelling of vasogenic edema.

While destructive lesions or trauma can also disrupt the BBB and cause vasogenic edema, the question’s focus is on a direct, commonly cited cause, which is toxin-induced BBB disruption. Hydrocephalus tends to cause interstitial edema via CSF transudation and is not the classic vasogenic mechanism, and cytotoxic edema is intracellular swelling from cellular energy failure, not extracellular leakage.