Background: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterized by repetitive episodes of hypopnea or apnea during sleep. With the improved living conditions of the population and the increased number of obese individuals, the incidence of OSAHS is rising. Hypopnea in OSAHS patients can cause and aggravate cerebrocardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders However, OSAHS patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension is rare and we just have searched one paper so far.
Case description: In this paper, we report the case of an OSAHS patient with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) as a prominent symptom. The patient was suffering weakness and fatigue lasting about half a year without the headache symptom. The IIH was diagnosed by lumbar puncture and the results showed that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure was higher than 400 mmH2O. After treatment with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, the symptoms were completely resolved and the quality of life of the patient was significantly improved. The CSF pressure was 200 mmH2O in the last lumbar puncture.
Conclusions: For patients with unexplained IIH, the possibility of OSAHS should be warned. Lumbar puncture is easy to perform and obtain the results. Regular ventilator treatment is important and necessary to these patients. The symptoms of some OSAHS patients is atypical that we may need new insights into this disease.
Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS); case report; idiopathic intracranial hypertension; non-invasive positive pressure ventilation.