Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Maybe It's Not Alzheimer's or Parkinson's

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, many Americans over the age of 55 may suffer from a condition that is often confused with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia or simply old age.

"What we're really dealing with here is something called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus," said Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurologist with Aventura Hospital.

Osborn said N.P.H. can be the result of injury or infection but in many cases the cause is unclear.

"What happens is fluid begins to build up in the brain cavity causing a variety of symptoms," Osborn said.

Symptoms include changes in a person's stride and the ability to walk, memory loss, apathy, dementia, and urinary incontinence, all of which may become progressively worse.

"In other words, the earlier you get to these patients and recognize it the better they're ultimately going to do," Osborn said. Read the entire article.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I found this to be a very interesting article, especially since my mom had Alzheimer's and my 2 yr. old grandson has hydrocephaly with a shunt and valve installed.

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