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Review
. 2025 Feb;15(1):e200372.
doi: 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200372. Epub 2024 Oct 8.

A Systematic Review of Sleep Disturbance in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Sabrina Kentis  1 , Jacob S Shaw  1 , Lisa N Richey  1 , Lisa Young  1 , Natalia Kosyakova  1 , Barry R Bryant  1 , Aaron I Esagoff  1 , Luis F Buenaver  1 , Rachel Marie E Salas  1 , Matthew E Peters  1
Affiliations
Review

A Systematic Review of Sleep Disturbance in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Sabrina Kentis et al. Neurol Clin Pract. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Sleep disturbances, particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), may have a significant impact on the outcomes of patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). We conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic literature review to study sleep disturbance in adult patients with IIH.

Recent findings: The current literature on the relationship between IIH and sleep is quite limited. Research has found that sleep disturbances are associated with lower quality of life and may worsen several symptoms associated with IIH, such as headache, cognitive deficits, and neuropsychiatric issues.

Summary: OSA was more prevalent in patients with IIH than in healthy controls. Several studies found that OSA was associated with worse IIH symptoms and treatment of OSA helped improve these parameters. Limitations included available literature and heterogeneity in sleep metrics and OSA diagnostic criteria between studies. Overall, further study of sleep disturbances in patients with IIH may encourage earlier screening, improved treatment options, and long-term improvements in quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no relevant disclosures. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp.

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