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Condition Symptoms for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a condition characterized by an increase in your brain's cerebrospinal fluid, putting pressure on your brain and damaging or destroying brain tissue. The condition includes symptoms that can be confused for dementia, Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, such as gait disturbances, dementia and urinary problems.

  1. Facts

    • Cerebrospinal fluid normally cushions your brain, has cleansing properties and transports nutrients to your brain and spinal cord. In NPH, this fluid builds up and results in an interruption in the healthy functioning of your brain.

    Brain Involvement

    • The areas of your brain which are most commonly affected control bladder function, leg movement, speaking, memory and problem solving.

    Symptoms Related To Walking

    • NPH is characterized by difficulty walking (usually characterized by a short, slow shuffling walk), balance problems, the sensation that you cannot lift your foot from the floor, weakness in your legs and suddenly falling.

    Symptoms of NPH-Related Dementia

    • Dementia is often associated with NPH, with symptoms such as memory loss, slow speech, difficulty in understanding others when speaking, suddenly having difficulties in performing routine tasks, decreased attention span and problems with reasoning and solving problems.

    Urinary Symptoms

    • In the early stages of NPH, a person may experience urgency or increased urinary frequency. These symptoms progressively give way to urinary incontinence.

    Additional NPH Symptoms

    • Additional symptoms of NPH occur because of the increased pressure on your brain and may include nausea, vision abnormalities, decrease in spontaneous behavior, apathy, social withdrawal and headaches.

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