Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors

Hydrocephalus is due to a problem with the flow of the fluid that surrounds the brain. This fluid is called the cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF. It surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and helps cushion the brain.

CSF normally moves through the brain and the spinal cord, and is soaked into the bloodstream. 

CSF levels in the brain can rise if:

• The flow of CSF is blocked
• It does not get absorb into the blood properly
• your brain makes too much of CSF

 

Too much CSF puts pressure on the brain. This pushes the brain up against the skull and damage brain tissue.

Hydrocephalus may begin while the baby is growing in the womb. It is common in babies who have a myelomeningocele, a birth defect in which the spinal column does not close properly.

Hydrocephalus may also be due to: 

• Genetic defects
• Certain infections during pregnancy

 

In young children, Hydrocephalus may result from the following conditions: 

• Infections that affect the central nervous system such as Meningitis or Encephalities especially in infants
• Bleeding in the brain during or soon after delivery especially in premature babies
• Injury before, during or after childbirth, including Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Tumors of the central nervous system, including the brain or spinal cord
• Injury or trauma  
  
  

Hydrocephalus most often occurs in children, but may also occur in adults and the elderly.

Sources : 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002538/

Types

Three main types of hydrocephalus

1) Congenital Hydrocephalus - hydrocephalus that present at birth

2) Acquired hydrocephalus - hydrocephalus that occur after birth

3) Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus - hydrocephalus that develop in older people

Sources:

1) http://www.cid.org.ro/sites/default/files/imagecache/ga_550/gallery_assist/3/gallery_assist154/poze%20hospice%20ianuarie%20002.jpg

Relationship between Hydrocephalus and the Brain

Cerebrospinal fluid or CSF is the fluid that surround the spinal cord and brain.

Cerebrolspinal fluid (CSF) has three important functions:

1) Protect the brain from damage

2) Act as the vehicle to remove waste product from the brain

3) Provide nutrient that the brain needed in order to function properly

The relationship between the brain and Hydrocephalus:

Hydrocephalus is cause by disturbance of CSF circulation in the brain. Too much CSF in the brain may cause ventricles which is abnormal widening of space in brain. It can pressure the tissue in the brain, pushed the brain up against the skull and damage brain's tissue. CSF is made continuously, and because of that balance between the production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid are important. Hydrocephalus is the medical condition in which it blocks the normal flow of the CSF in the brain.

Source: Google image

Video on Hydrocephalus

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EWtiAoc3Sw

What is Hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus derived from the greek word. Hydro means water, whereas cephalus means brain. It also know as water in the brain. Hydrocephalus is a medical condition in which there is over-accumulation of fluid in the brain. The fluid called cerebrospinal fluid or CSF. Cerebrospinal fluid is what surrounds the brain and spinal cord and cushions them.

 

Sources:
1) http://www.lucinafoundation.org/birthdefects-hydrocephalus.html
2) http://byebyedoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/hydrocephalus