Hydrocephalus Demographics

Hydrocephalus Demographics

The exact number of people with hydrocephalus in the United States is not known because the dis- order has so many possible causes—particularly acquired hydrocephalus—and because the diagnosis is often missed in elderly patients. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that there are 700,000 children and adults living with hydrocephalus in the United States. It is the leading cause of brain surgery for American children and costs the nation about $1 billion every year in health care expenses. The disorder is most common in the very young and the very old. About three babies in every 1,000 are diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus. About 60 percent of cases of acquired hydrocephalus occur in children, with the remaining 40 percent in adults.

As far as is known, hydrocephalus is equally common in both sexes and in all races and ethnic groups.

Risk factors for hydrocephalus in infants and young children include:

• Premature birth. Prematurity increases the risk of bleeding into the brain.

• Spina bifida. This is a condition in which the spinal column fails to close completely over the spinal cord.

• An infection within the mother’s uterus.