Sleep Apnea’s Effect on Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Parameters Minimal

Obstructive sleep apnea’s effect on idiopathic intracranial hypertension is not significant with regards to opening pressure or papilledema grading, according to research presented at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society’s 2023 Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida from March 11 to March 16, 2023. The presence of obstructive sleep apnea does not appear to influence opening pressure or the severity of papilledema in patients with IIH, the report shows.  

Presenting author Mangayarkarasi Thandampallayam, MD, explained that the research team retrospectively reviewed 80 patients with IIH who were seen at a single neuro-ophthalmology clinic at the University of Kentucky between 2019 and 2021. The participants were categorized into 3 groups to establish obstructive sleep apnea‘s effect on idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Group 1 had IIH and OSA (n=19), group 2 had IIH but no OSA (n=21) and group 3 had IIH with suspected OSA but sleep study was not completed (n=40). 

The patients in group 1 were significantly older compared with group 2 (P =.013) and group 1 weighed significantly more compared with group 2 and 3 (P =.004 and P <.001, respectively). Group 1 had a significantly higher body mass index compared with patients in Group 3 (P =.024), but their difference compared with Group 2 did not reach significance (P =.061). 

Overall, no significant differences in opening pressure, or papilledema grading existed for either eye when comparing the 3 groups on clinical outcomes, suggesting obstructive sleep apnea has little effect on idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

“In our study, there was no significant difference between the association of OSA on IIH in terms of opening pressure and the severity of papilledema,” according to the researcher. “Larger, prospective and controlled studies are required to further evaluate the relationship between OSA and IIH, and the effect of OSA treatment on the clinical course of IIH.”

Study limitations include its retrospective nature and single center design.