Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in a sample of Egyptian idiopathic intracranial hypertension female patients using the Berlin questionnaire

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the risk factors of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The Berlin questionnaire (BQ) is a validated reliable method for identification of increased likelihood of OSA. We aimed to screen a sample of female IIH patients for OSA using the BQ. Methods: This study included 40 females; 20 newly diagnosed IIH patients and 20 healthy control subjects. The BQ was obtained from all of the study participants and it was divided into high or low risk for OSA. Results: The patient and control cohorts were age matched. The BMI was significantly higher in the IIH group (median 36, range 24-42) than the control group (median 28, range 20-41) (p=0.005). 45% of the IIH patients group patients had a high risk BQ score, while only 15 % of the healthy subject control group had high risk score (P=0.038) Conclusion: Stratifying the risk of OSA in IIH may be feasible using the BQ. High likelihood for OSA in BQ is more common in patients of IIH. Polysomnography may be warranted in IIH patients with high-risk BQ scores to reduce the morbidities associated with OSA, especially in obese patients.