Exploring the clinical significance of anemia in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the clinical significance of anemia in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Patients and methods: This retrospective study was performed on 101 consecutive patients with IIH between January 2018 and January 2023. All patients had a complete blood count at the time of admission. Two groups were formed according to the presence of anemia: 32 female patients (mean age: 40±9.6 years; range, 24 to 62 years) with anemia were included in Group 1, and 69 patients (65 females, 4 males; mean age: 40±12.1 years; range 18 to 65 years) without anemia were included Group 2. The groups were analyzed to identify differences in demographic data and visual functions. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of female patients (p=0.304), age (p=0.914), and body mass index (29.6±5 vs. 31.8±5.7 kg/m 2 ; p=0.070) between Groups 1 and 2. Groups 1 and 2 were not statistically different in terms of visual acuity (0.9±0.2 vs. 0.9±0.2 logMAR; p=0.586), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (128.4±60.8 vs. 136.8±64.8 μm; p=0.602), visual field mean deviation (–4.3±4.8 vs. –5.1±4.7 dB; p=0.280), and the need for medical treatment (32 of 32 vs. 68 of 69; p=0.715). Conclusion: The elucidation of the etiology of IIH is warranted given its propensity to induce severe visual impairment. This study suggested that there was no direct causal relationship between anemia and IIH. Prospective studies in the future could provide further confirmation of our findings