We're One Million Strong! (Part I)

The "we" I'm referring to is those of us who were born with Hydrocephalus or "water on the brain". Earlier this afternoon I was messaging back and forth with a friend on Facebook (she also has hydrocephalus) and she was telling me that there have now been one million babies that have been born with Hydrocephalus and there are more of us coming along each day. The sad part is, out of that million plus babies, many of them don't survive past the age of two.

What is hydrocephalus?

The name "Hydrocephalus" is derived from the Greek word hudro (meaning "water") and kephalos (meaning "head") and involves an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal flud (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain  (pictured at left).This causes increased intracranial pressure as well as progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Additionally, it can result in death.

What are the signs and symptoms of Hydrocephalus

Clinical presentation of hydrocephalus varies with chronicity. Acute dilation of the ventricular system is more likely to manifest with the nonspecific signs and symptoms of increased cranial pressure. By contrast, chronic dilation - especially in the elderly population - may have a more insidious onset presenting, for instance, with the Hakim triad. Symptoms of increased intracranial pressure may include: headaches, vomiting, nausea, papilledema, sleepiness, or coma. Elevated intracranial pressure can result in uncal and/or cerebellar tonsil herniation (pictured above) which causes life-threatening brain stem compression.

What is the history of Hydrocephalus?

References to hydrocephalic skulls can be found in ancient Egyptian medical literature from 2500 BC to 500 AD. A more concise description of the condition was given by the Greek physician Hippocrates in the 4th century BC. The first clinical description and operative procedure for hydrocephalus appears in the Al-Tasrif by the Arab surgeon, Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, who described the evacuation of superficial intracranial fluid in hydrocephalic children. It remained, however, an intractable condition, until the 20th century when shunts and other neurosurgical treatment modalities were developed. It is a lesser-known medical condition; relatively small amounts of research are conducted to improve treatment and, to this day, there is no cure for the condition.

Until next time . . .