Intracranial Hypertension Associated With Testosterone Therapy In Female-To-Male Transgender Patients: A Case Report And Literature Review

ABSTRACT

We highlight a case of intracranial hypertension secondary to exogenous testosterone in a female-to-male transgender patient and present a systematic review of similar cases. Our review identified 19 female-to-male transgender individuals with intracranial hypertension. The mean age was 24.2 years and most common presenting symptom was headache (78.9% of patients). The most frequently associated ocular symptoms were transient visual obscurations (42.1%) and blurred vision (21.1%). Onset of symptoms occurred concurrently with exogenous testosterone therapy in 89.5% of the patients. The most common treatments were acetazolamide (89.5%), topiramate (31.6%), and alteration in hormone regimen (21.1%); four cases required surgery. These findings aid clinicians treating intracranial hypertension in patients undergoing gender affirmation therapy in a conscientious, patient-centered manner.

KEYWORDS:

• Female-to-male
• Intracranial hypertension
• Ophthalmology
• Testosterone
• Transgender

AUTHOR INVOLVEMENT WITH MANUSCRIPT

AK, MB – concept, literature review, and drafting of manuscript; AA – drafting and critical review of manuscript

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.