Hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome is a disease characterized by the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, and more precisely, in its ventricles and under the membranes, which results in increased intracranial pressure. This disease is due to the partial impossibility of the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid.
Hypertensive hydrocephalic syndrome: symptoms
Signs of hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome are:
- Headaches;
- Redness of the eyes, impaired vision;
- Visibility of the subcutaneous vessels;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Sleep disturbance;
- Increased head size.
Often, hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome is found in infants. And also, doctors often make such a diagnosis erroneously, focusing on signs that may not be relevant to this disease.
Signs of this syndrome in infants are:
- Increased head volume;
- Frequent vomiting
- Anxiety, frequent crying;
- Convulsions, increased tone of limbs;
- Fontanel swelling;
- Reluctant sucking.
Hypertensive hydrocephalic syndrome: causes
This syndrome can appear in a newborn as a result of a mother’s infections during pregnancy, birth injuries, and brain formation defects. Often this syndrome manifests itself in premature babies.
In children, the disease may appear due to complications after an infection. Signs of the disease in children are: irritability, aggressiveness, anxiety, vomiting, intolerable headaches, drowsiness, lethargy, visual impairment, fixed head position.
In adults, the syndrome may appear after receiving head injuries due to infections, including neuroinfections.
Hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome: treatment
In order to correctly diagnose the disease, it is necessary to undergo an echoencephalogram, rheoencephalogram, electroencephalogram, computed tomography. There must be an examination by a neurologist, neurosurgeon, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist.
Treatment depends on the root cause of the disease. If it is an infection - measures aimed at eliminating it are applied, if the injury was the fault - appropriate therapy is carried out.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient requires immediate hospitalization. Drug treatment involves the use of drugs aimed at increasing the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid and reducing the production of cerebrospinal fluid. If drug treatment did not produce tangible results, then surgical intervention can be applied. Surgically removed formations that interfere with the full outflow of cerebrospinal fluid. In most cases, the patient undergoes shunting, which is the introduction of a shunt into the ventricular region through which excess fluid is drained.
Hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome: consequences
This disease can have the most serious consequences. If medical measures are not taken on time, the syndrome can degenerate into a chronic disease that is fraught with complete blindness, developmental delay, paralysis, coma, dementia. If measures are not taken in time, the consequences of this syndrome can be the most sad, often fatal.
Prevention
To prevent this syndrome, infectious diseases should be avoided during the expectation of a child, with caution to use medications during pregnancy. A future mother needs to undergo an ultrasound examination during pregnancy and an ultrasound scan of the baby after birth. Monthly monitoring of changes in the size and shape of the head.