Hydrocephalus | Prevention and Prognosis
Duration
Although symptoms may subside treatment duration varies according to the type and cause of hydrocephalus.
Prevention
A few cases of hydrocephalus can be prevented:
- To help prevent severe brain injury, use proper protection for your head when you participate in contact sports or other activities such as skiing, use of the bike and sled race, which involve risk of injury.
- If you are pregnant, see your doctor as soon as you know and often repeat visits. Your doctor will check for infections or other problems that may occur during pregnancy. Regular doctor visits will also decrease the risk of premature birth. Productive age women should include folic acid in their diets regularly before becoming pregnant to help prevent the development of neural tube defects, including hydrocephalus.
Forecast
The prognosis depends on the cause of hydrocephalus and is usually better if the problem is diagnosed and treated promptly. If hydrocephalus gets worse quickly or last longer, can cause brain damage and death.
Children with hydrocephalus are more likely to suffer developmental disabilities. Even after treatment, most children with hydrocephalus has little intelligence, memory problems and visual problems, including strabismus (abnormal alignment of the eyes). Children with hydrocephalus also may enter puberty earlier than normal.
With proper treatment, most babies with hydrocephalus survive and about half of these have normal intelligence.