In life, we often hear the words "your brain is in the water", but can the brain really get into the water? In fact, everyone has "water" in their brain, the scientific name is cerebrospinal fluid, and the brain is immersed in this colorless and transparent water-like liquid. Cerebrospinal fluid acts protectively on the brain to buffer against brain damage that can occur caused by sudden movement of the body.
Under normal circumstances, the production, transport and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid are in a dynamic equilibrium, and if there is a disturbance in the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid, the process of transportation is blocked, or too much is produced, hydrocephalus will occur. Hydrocephalus occurs for many reasons, there are congenital developmental abnormalities, but also by intracranial infection, hemorrhage, intracranial tumors, trauma and so on. There are currently three groups of people who are susceptible to hydrocephalus, namely fetuses, children and the elderly.
1. Effects on the fetus
Studies have found that the maximum amount of fluid in the fetus during pregnancy < 10 mm, most of which are normal variations, and the intracranial fluid can disappear on its own, and there is no obvious impact on the baby's future development; the maximum amount of fluid in 10 to 14 mm, if there is no complicated intracranial malformations or chromosomal abnormalities, generally will not cause serious consequences. However, if the fetal hydrocephalus is serious, it will have a serious impact on the intelligence after birth, etc., when the cerebral effusion accumulates too much in the ventricular system, resulting in ventricular system expansion and pressure increase, especially severe hydrocephalus will seriously threaten the life of the fetus and the acquired intellectual development, and can cause pregnant women to have difficulty giving birth.
2. Effects on children
The most prominent manifestation of hydrocephalus in children is the progressive increase in the circumference of the head. Some are significantly larger than normal babies at birth, and most begin to enlarge in the weeks or months after birth. After the head circumference is enlarged, the face is relatively small, the forehead protrudes forward, the scalp tightens and thins, the anterior fontanelle expands and the tension increases, and the "sunset" signs of the two eyeballs tend to look down and the sclera is exposed. Severe patients may experience frequent vomiting, convulsions, restlessness, and poor eating. There is no effect on intelligence in the early stage, and in the late stage, there may be sluggish expression, mental retardation, vision loss, limb paralysis, etc. Eventually, most of them die from complications such as malnutrition, pressure sores and respiratory infections.
3. Effects on the elderly
The incidence of hydrocephalus in the elderly is lower, and once it occurs, it is prone to intermittent headaches, dizziness, dizziness, tinnitus, vision loss, limb weakness and other symptoms. Patients with atmospheric hydrocephalus usually present as follows: (1) abnormal walking gait, small stride length, unsteadiness, low foot lift, walking imbalance, etc.; (2) memory decline, poor mood, apathy, severe cases will be manifested as obvious dementia; (3) urinary feeling loss, in severe cases of urinary and fecal incontinence. The disease usually begins slowly and progresses gradually. The above conditions are easily confused with Alzheimer's disease, and the vast majority of elderly patients are easily misdiagnosed.
In short, hydrocephalus directly endangers the life center, can cause serious consequences, must be detected early, active treatment.
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