Hydrocephalus Causes and Symptoms

Hydrocephalus Causes and Symptoms

The causes of hydrocephalus range from genetic disorders and incomplete development before birth to brain tumors, head injuries, infectious diseases that affect the brain, and bleeding in the brain.

age:

The symptoms of hydrocephalus depend partly on the patient’s

• Infants: Enlargement of the skull; bulging of the soft spot at the top of the skull; veins in the scalp are enlarged; baby feeds poorly, vomits, has seizures, sleeps a great deal, or has eyes that look down- ward much of the time (“sunsetting”).

• Children: Headache; nausea; vomiting; fever; blurred or double vision; unstable balance; irritability; sleepiness; delayed progress in walking or talking; poor coordination; change in personality; difficulty staying awake or waking from sleep.

• Adults: Headache; constant drowsiness; loss of ability to think clearly or concentrate; difficulty walking; personality changes and loss of social skills. Job performance is often affected.

• Elderly adults: Loss of coordination or balance; shuffling gait, memory loss; headache; or bladder control problems.