Men lose vision more than women in cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Men are more likely than women to report visual disturbances in cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. In addition, they may be less likely to report or experience other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, such as headache.

Of 721 consecutive patients — 655 women and 66 men — examined at three university hospitals, visual acuity and visual fields at presentation and at last follow-up were significantly worse among men with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), according to the study published online in Neurology.

In their investigation of the differences in characteristics of IIH in men and women, Beau B. Bruce, MD, and colleagues found that men were twice as likely as women with IIH to develop severe visual loss in either one or both eyes.

"Men and women have different symptom profiles, which could represent differences in symptom expression or symptom thresholds between the sexes," the study authors said.

Men with IIH were also more likely to have sleep apnea (P < .001).