SYMPTOMS
The symptoms for Hydrocephalus can vary based on the age of onset, which is listed below:
1. Infants
The common symptoms are an unusually large head, the rapid increase in head size, and having a fontanel at the top of the infant’s head, which is bulging and has tense soft spots.
Additionally, there are physical signs and symptoms such as:
- Vomiting
- Sleepiness
- Irritability
- Poor feeding
- Seizures
- Eyes fixed downwards (also called sunsetting)
- Deficits in muscle tone and strength
- Poor responsiveness to touch
- Poor growth
2. Toddlers and older children
For this age group, the most noticeable physical signs are listed below:
- Headache
- Blurred or double vision
- Eyes fixed downwards (also called sunsetting)
- Abnormal head enlargement
- Sleepiness or lethargy
- Nausea or vomiting
- Unstable balance
- Poor coordination
- Poor appetite
- Seizures
- Urinary incontinence
Aside from those physical signs and symptoms, behavioral and cognitive changes are listed below:
- Irritability
- Personality changes
- School performance dropping significantly
- Delays and noticeable problems in previously acquired skills (i.e., walking, talking)
3. Young and middle-aged adults
For this age group, the common signs and symptoms are listed below:
- Headache
- Lethargy
- Balance or coordination loss
- Bladder control loss or urinating frequently
- Impaired vision
Memory decline, concentration loss, and other skills associated with thinking
4. Older adults
The signs and symptoms for this age group usually appear in people on their 60s and older, which are listed below:
- Bladder control loss or urinating frequently
- Memory loss
- Loss of other thinking and reasoning skills progressively
- Walking difficulties, described as shuffling gait or the feeling of the feet being stuck
- Poor coordination and balance
Parents of infants should immediately seek emergency medical care for the signs of the disease, especially if the infant shows the following:
- High-pitched cries
- Sucking or feeding problems
- Recurrent and unexplained vomiting
- Unwillingness for movement of the head or to lay down
- Difficulties in breathing
- Seizures
As for the other age groups, they should seek prompt medical attention when symptoms show up.
