The number 1 cause of hydrocephalus in adults is bleeding inside the brain.
Hydrocephalus can cause death if left untreated.
However with early diagnoses and treatment you can improve your chance of recovery and survival with hydrocephalus.
Most people who have had treatment for hydrocephalus go on to live normal lives.
Hydrocephalus does affect memory due to damage that can be done to the nerve fibers that control the brain.
Hydrocephalus does sometimes affect the legs as well as memory and the bladder as a result of damage caused to the nearby nerve fibers that control the bladder, legs and memory which is caused by the CSF slowly building up in the ventricles which enlarge and stretch the brain.
Hydrocephalus is a birth defect and it's one of the most common birth defects which affects more than 10,000 of the babies born each year.
For every 500 babies that are born at least 1 out of those 500 newborns have the birth defect of hydrocephalus.
The age at which hydrocephalus is diagnosed is around 10 months of life.
Hydrocephalus can be diagnosed even earlier in some cases or later on in adulthood.
A baby with hydrocephalus will look like a normal baby although they will have an abnormal enlargement of their head.
The soft spot of the baby's head might also be tense and bulging and the baby's scalp may also appear thin and glistening and the scalp veins may also appear to have unnatural fullness as well.
A person with hydrocephalus can live a normal lifespan as long as it's treated.
Without treatment a person with hydrocephalus may live up to 5 to 10 years or sometimes longer.
Children who have hydrocephalus and get treated typically live a normal lifespan.
For infants that have hydrocephalus and are treated and survive to age 1 will not have any shorter life because of the hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus or normal pressure hydrocephalus can cause dementia and is one of the few things that can cause dementia which can be reversed or controlled with treatment.
The 4 types of hydrocephalus include communicating hydrocephalus, non-communicating hydrocephalus, normal pressure hydrocephalus and hydrocephalus ex-vacuo.
The most obvious symptoms of hydrocephalus is gait disturbance which can range from inability to stand or walk at all or a mild imbalance.
Other symptoms of hydrocephalus are.
Poor Coordination.
Unstable Balance.
Headache.
Double or blurred vision.
Nausea or vomiting.
Abnormal eye movements.
sleepiness or sluggishness.
Abnormal enlargement of a toddler's head.
Hydrocephalus is not a brain tumor although hydrocephalus can be caused by a brain tumor or cyst.
The condition of hydrocephalus occurs when the delicate balance of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cycling is disrupted.
When the balance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cycling is disrupted it's because of the CSF fluid being overproduced and not absorbed properly or because it's blocked by an obstruction such as a brain tumor.
Tumors in the ventricles (intraventricular tumors), can sometimes grow large enough to cause blockage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow, resulting in hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus is the abnormal buildup of fluid that is in the ventricles (cavities) which are deep within the brain.
This excess fluid buildup then causes the ventricles to widen which puts pressure on the brain's tissues.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the clear, colorless fluid that protects and cushions the brain and spine.
Hydrocephalus is a chronic condition that can be controlled, but usually not cured.
However with the appropriate early treatment, many people with hydrocephalus lead normal lives with few limitations.
Hydrocephalus can occur at any age, but is most common in infants and adults age 60 and older.
The symptoms of hydrocephalus include.
Nausea and vomiting.
Sleepiness or sluggishness (lethargy)
Irritability.
Poor eating.
Seizures.
Eyes fixed downward (sunsetting of the eyes)
Problems with muscle tone and strength.
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain.
The excess fluid puts pressure on the brain, which can damage it.
If left untreated, hydrocephalus can be fatal.
Children often have a full life span if hydrocephalus is caught early and treated.
Infants who undergo surgical treatment to reduce the excess fluid in the brain and survive to age 1 will not have a shortened life expectancy due to hydrocephalus.
The mortality rate for hydrocephalus and associated therapy ranges from 0 to 3%.
This rate is highly dependent on the duration of follow-up care.
The shunt event-free survival is approximately 70% at 12 months and is nearly half that at 10 years, post-operatively.
Early diagnosis and successful treatment improve the chance for a good recovery.
With the benefits of surgery, rehabilitative therapies, and educational interventions, many people with hydrocephalus live relatively normal lives.
The four main types of hydrocephalus are communicating hydrocephalus, non-communicating hydrocephalus, normal pressure hydrocephalus and hydrocephalus ex-vacuo.
Communicating hydrocephalus occurs when the flow of CSF is blocked after it leaves your ventricles.
The most common treatment for hydrocephalus is the surgical insertion of a drainage system, called a shunt.
It consists of a long, flexible tube with a valve that keeps fluid from the brain flowing in the right direction and at the proper rate.
One end of the tubing is usually placed in one of the brain's ventricles.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is one of the few causes of dementia that can be controlled or reversed with treatment.
The major cognitive impairment in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is frontal lobe symptoms, such as psychomotor slowing and impairment of attention, working memory, verbal fluency and executive function.
Hydrocephalus can be the cause of headaches as well as some loss of both coordination and balance, seizures, and impaired vision.
Another of the physical symptoms is also sleepiness, although many have difficulty falling and staying asleep due to headaches or pain.