An Alzheimer"s Imposter You Don"t Want to Overlook: Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Today approximately 5.
4 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and many more are showing symptoms of it.
Often the illness progresses so slowly that the person with the symptoms and their loved ones initially try to explain away the symptoms, push them to the back of their mind, or make excuses for them.
They often delay going to the doctor, usually because they are afraid it may be Alzheimer's.
That's unfortunate for two reasons.
First because if it is Alzheimer's, treatment works best if started early.
The other reason is that a small number of people showing signs of Alzheimer's actually have something else, and some of those other conditions can be treated or even reversed.
Conditions that can masquerade as Alzheimer's include things such as under-active thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, too much calcium in the blood, syphilis that has spread to the brain, severe clinical depression, delirium, certain viral or bacterial infections, lead and mercury poisoning, schizophrenia, and a rare condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
NPH is of special interest because it's a condition that's sometimes missed by doctors.
The Hydrocephalus Association estimates that nearly 400,000 Americans have NPH, a neurological disorder caused by a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid that leads to enlarged ventricles in the brain.
Most cases have no identifiable cause, although it can sometimes be attributed to previous brain surgery or injury.
The three main symptoms of NPH are progressive mental impairment and dementia, problems with walking, and impaired bladder control.
Many patients suffer for years with NPH without knowing what is wrong with them.
Treatment for the disorder is typically the placement of a shunt under the patient's scalp to drain excess fluid from the brain to the abdomen.
From there it is absorbed back into the bloodstream.
The procedure brings about the complete alleviation of symptoms in some patients, while others' symptoms are partially relieved.
The surgery takes less than an hour to perform, and most patients are in the hospital only a couple of days.
Although the outcome of the surgery varies from patient to patient, for those who have a significant benefit, it is truly miraculous.
It quickly gives them back their lives after what may have been years of mental and physical deterioration.
So if you or a loved one is having symptoms of Alzheimer's, be sure to consult a physician.
And the sooner the better.
It just may turn out to be something else that can be partially or completely reversed.
4 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and many more are showing symptoms of it.
Often the illness progresses so slowly that the person with the symptoms and their loved ones initially try to explain away the symptoms, push them to the back of their mind, or make excuses for them.
They often delay going to the doctor, usually because they are afraid it may be Alzheimer's.
That's unfortunate for two reasons.
First because if it is Alzheimer's, treatment works best if started early.
The other reason is that a small number of people showing signs of Alzheimer's actually have something else, and some of those other conditions can be treated or even reversed.
Conditions that can masquerade as Alzheimer's include things such as under-active thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, too much calcium in the blood, syphilis that has spread to the brain, severe clinical depression, delirium, certain viral or bacterial infections, lead and mercury poisoning, schizophrenia, and a rare condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
NPH is of special interest because it's a condition that's sometimes missed by doctors.
The Hydrocephalus Association estimates that nearly 400,000 Americans have NPH, a neurological disorder caused by a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid that leads to enlarged ventricles in the brain.
Most cases have no identifiable cause, although it can sometimes be attributed to previous brain surgery or injury.
The three main symptoms of NPH are progressive mental impairment and dementia, problems with walking, and impaired bladder control.
Many patients suffer for years with NPH without knowing what is wrong with them.
Treatment for the disorder is typically the placement of a shunt under the patient's scalp to drain excess fluid from the brain to the abdomen.
From there it is absorbed back into the bloodstream.
The procedure brings about the complete alleviation of symptoms in some patients, while others' symptoms are partially relieved.
The surgery takes less than an hour to perform, and most patients are in the hospital only a couple of days.
Although the outcome of the surgery varies from patient to patient, for those who have a significant benefit, it is truly miraculous.
It quickly gives them back their lives after what may have been years of mental and physical deterioration.
So if you or a loved one is having symptoms of Alzheimer's, be sure to consult a physician.
And the sooner the better.
It just may turn out to be something else that can be partially or completely reversed.
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