HYDROCEPHALUS - SYMPTOMS - NERVOUS-SYSTEM-HEALTH

Introduction

The term "hydrocephalus" refers to a pathological under-tension accumulation of CSF within the cerebral ventricles and / or meninges. When not treated early, hydrocephalus can trigger a series of catastrophic events, leading to death.
The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive and concise reading of the symptoms and complications associated with hydrocephalus. From what has been reported, we will understand how the prevention of hydrocephalus or in any case of its complications is essential to safeguard - or improve - the quality of life of the affected patient.

Severity of symptoms

The severity of the symptoms that characterize hydrocephalus is related to three important factors:

Age: Infants with hydrocephalus, up to two years of age, tolerate any increase in intracranial pressure quite well compared to older children or adults. In fact, the cranial bones of very young children are not completely welded, therefore they allow the skull to expand without generating particularly serious damage. Vice versa, in the adult the cranial bone sutures are well welded, therefore the skull is almost inextensible: from what has been said we understand how any possible increase in volume of the cerebral components results in intracranial hypertension, therefore in hydrocephalus.

Brain damage: The more damage the brain suffers, the greater the severity of the symptoms

Cause that induces the accumulation of liquor

Position where the liquor is collected

Hydrocephalus in the newborn, child and adult

In the NEWBORN AND CHILD (up to 2 years), the most common signs of hydrocephalus are:

Rapid increase in head circumference: one of the hallmarks of neonatal or early childhood hydrocephalus

Seizures

Convulsions

Difficulty sucking or feeding

Downward deviation of the eyes (a particular condition also known as "waning sun eyeballs")

Neck pain

Lack of appetite

Abnormal macrocrania: This is a cranial malformation characterized by an abnormal increase in the size of the skull in relation to the face. In this condition, the head circumference is greater than the 97th percentile

Marked mood swings: The child may be quiet, and a few moments later he may become extremely nervous. Marked irritability can lead to lethargy over a short period

Obesity

Precocious puberty

Tension of the fontanel (meeting points of the sutures, membranes that line the cranial bones)

He retched

When no action is taken promptly, the clinical picture of the patient suffering from hydrocephalus can collapse, evolving in the negative direction, to the point of compromising brain functions:

Walking disorders

Severe weight loss

Papilledema: the increase in intracranial pressure typical of hydrocephalus triggers an abnormal swelling of the ganglion fibers in the papilla, between the optic nerve and the eye

Paralysis of the cranial nerves

Delay in the development of cognitive abilities

Delay of psychic development

In the "OLDER" CHILD AND IN THE ADULT, hydrocephalus can cause more or less marked symptoms:

Change in vision (blurred vision, double vision)

Alterations of memory abilities

Mood alteration / irritability

Walking deficit: the difficulty of walking constitutes a possible sign of hydrocephalus in the elderly. It is, in fact, an anticipatory symptom, which tends to arise months or even years before the other prodrome.

Deficit of cognitive abilities

Dementia

Cognitive impairment: this symptom is common to many forms of hydrocephalus in the elderly. The loss of cognitive abilities of hydrocephalus can be easily confused with other pathological forms typical of old age.

Difficulty maintaining balance

Fever

Lethargy

Headache

Loss of control of the anal and bladder sphincters (fecal and urinary incontinence)

Growth retardation

Poor coordination

Parkinson-like symptoms

Muscle spasms

Shrill shrill (in the child)

Variation in the distance between one eye and the other

Change in the appearance of the face

Complications

In addition to varying widely from person to person, complications from hydrocephalus are quite difficult to predict.
For example, if hydrocephalus manifests itself at birth, the young patient is most likely destined to become an intellectually and structurally disabled adult. However, if treated carefully, some patients with neonatal hydrocephalus may develop less. complications in adulthood.
Adults who have experienced a significant and rapid decline in memory and thinking skills generally have a slower recovery and, more often than not, symptoms persist even after treatment for hydrocephalus.
It is observed that the severity of the complications of this pathology depends on the type of initial symptoms, the underlying cause and the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment for the treatment of hydrocephalus.