The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by a clear circulating fluid called Cerebral Spinal Fluid, or CSF. This fluid plays a vital role in brain health, but some conditions cause patients to accumulate too much CSF – a condition doctors once called “water on the brain.” Today, this is known as hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus can occur when the central nervous system produces too much CSF, aborbs too little, or when something obstructs the normal flow of the fluid. Hydrocephalus is a treatable condition, but it can be deadly if it is left untreated.
Headache
The most prominent symptom of hydrocephalus is a terrible headache. The presence of too much fluid in all or part of the brain can create a great deal of pressure, which causes pain as the skull is unable to swell to accommodate the presence of extra fluid. According to Mayo Clinic researchers, a hydrocephalus headache is often quickly followed by vomiting.
Visual Disturbances
The pressure inside the skull created by hydrocephalus often acts on the optic nerves. Hydrocephalus causes a number of changes in vision as well as changes to the eyes that people interacting with the patient may notice. For example, a patient may complain of blurred or double vision, his eyes might drift downward against his will, and his eyelids may close partially. These outward signs are known as “sunsetting,” and is particularly common in children and older adults with hydrocephalus, according to the Hydrocephalus Association.
Mobility Problems
Hydrocephalus interferes with mobility in several ways. Pressure changes in the brain can interfere with both motor control and balance. Older adults suffering from hydrocephalus often say that their feet feel “stuck,”according to the National Institutes of Health.
Personality Changes
Hydrocephalus damages brain cells, which can lead to changes in personality. Patients can become confused and have difficulty thinking. They may experience memory problems, or become irritable. If not treated quickly, hydrocephalus can lead to dementia.
Abnormal Growth of the Head in Young Children
Hydrocephalus looks very different in infants and young children than in adults. When a baby is born, the plates of its skull have not yet fused. Most of the symptoms adults experience from hydrocephalus occur because of pressure buildup in the brain, since the skull cannot swell to accommodate additional fluid. The skull of a small child, however, can stretch and swell as fluid accumulates. Even children whose plates have somewhat fused have a fontanel – a soft spot in the head where the plates have not yet come together. This can lead allow for a bulging spot in the head.
