Sleep apnea and intracranial hypertension in men.

Abstract

Lee AG, Golnik K, Kardon R, et al. Sleep apnea and intracranial hypertension in men. Ophthalmology 2002;109:482–5. A multicenter, retrospective review was undertaken to assess the association of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in men with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Of 18 patients who met the modified Dandy criteria for IIH, six were found to have SAS. Not all of the18 patients had sleep studies performed, however. All six patients with SAS were overweight and had resolution of papilledema after treatment with acetazolamide, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), or both. Limitations of the study, including small sample size and retrospective design, do not allow a valid prevalence to be determined, but the 6/18 (33%) patients identified is higher than the reported incidence of 0.4 to 5.9%. The authors conclude that the diagnosis of sleep apnea should be entertained in men with IIH.