Do men with pseudomotor cerebri share the same characteristics as women? A retrospective review of 141 cases

To determine whether males with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) differ from females by clinical presentation, risk factors, and outcome.

The medical records of patients diagnosed with PTC or idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in two major university hospitals were obtained. Diagnostic criteria, clinical features, presence of obesity, mode of treatment, and outcome were tabulated.

A total of 134 patients (18 males and 116 females) fulfilled the Dandy diagnostic criteria for PTC. Females and males shared similar clinical features and outcome. There was a substantial difference between the groups regarding body weight. The majority of females (77.8%) were considered significantly overweight, compared to 25% of the males.

Pseudotumor cerebri in males is relatively rare. The clinical features are identical to those found in females. The fact that the majority of the male patients had a normal body weight may indicate that increased body weight does not play a major role in causing PTC in men, whereas it is an established major risk factor in women.