What is Hydrocephalus?

Some people refer to hydrocelphus as ‘water on the brain.” The name is taken from the greek words “hydro” meaning water and “cephalus” referring to the head. Hydrocephalus is actually a build up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cavities in the brain inside the ventricles. The purpose of the Cerebrospinal fluid is to serve as a protective cushion surrounding the brain and the spinal cord.

The fluid moves in constant circulation and is then absorbed into the blood stream. Hydrocephaly occurs when the fluid begins to build up in the cavities causing excess fluid to increase in the ventricles adding pressure on the brain which can cause damage to the brain tissues.

Types

There are two major types of hydrocephalus:

Congenital. In this case, a child was born with it. The cause could be due to both genetic or environmental factors during the early stages of fetal development such as an infection or a birth defect or rubella.Through advanced technology, hydrocephaly can now be diagnosed through ultra sound testing

 

Acquired.  Occurs when it is developed after birth. It may be due to a brain tumor, stroke, head injury or meningitis

Communicating.  (Obstructive) Occurs when the CSF becomes blocked after leaving the ventricles

Non Communicating. (Non-Obstructive) occurs when the craniospinal fluid becomes blocked after leaving the ventricles.

10 Things You Should Know About Brain Injuries

Brain injury is called the ‘silent’ epidemic with 5.3 million Americans live with brain injury and occurs every 23 seconds. A brain injury is defined as a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. The following are 10 facts that you should know about brain injuries.

No two brain injuries are exactly the same

The effects of a brain injury depends on the cause, location and severity

Depending on the severity of the brain injury, effects may include temporary loss of consciousness or coma, respiratory or damaged motor functions.

A concussion can be caused by direct blows to the head, gunshot wound, violent shaking of the head or force from a whiplash.

A contusion is a bruise (bleeding) on the brain caused by a force to the head

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex injury with a broad spectrum of symptoms and disabilities

TBI is a contributing factor to a third of all injury-related deaths in the United States

Almost half-a million emergency room visits for TBI are made annually by children aged 0 to 14

In every age group, TBI rates are higher for males than for females

TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the United States

References

http://www.cdc.com

http://www.biausa.org

http://www.traumaticbraininjury.com