DEAR DR. GOTT: Could you please write about normal pressure hydrocephalus? I heard from a colleague that his mother, diagnosed with dementia, incontinence and weak knees, was instead diagnosed with this. She went to the Mayo Clinic and had a shunt put in her head to relieve the pressure on her brain. Subsequently, all the negative symptoms were alleviated, and she could resume fairly normal independent living.
The Internet says this condition is often misidentified as dementia. What say you?
DEAR READER: Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is defined as an abnormal increase in cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities of the brain. The condition occurs because the brain does not reabsorb the fluid, which normally circulates around the brain and spinal cord. [Read more...]