Increased cerebral pressure in old age
Behind increased intracranial pressure, which occurs mainly in old age (also called age brain pressure; frequency peaks over 60 years), there is often an imbalance between neural water production and neural water absorption in the context of secondary or idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. Either too little cerebrospinal fluid is absorbed from the cerebral ventricles back into the bloodstream or the body produces too much. This event leads to symptoms that appear very suddenly and often represent a triad of gait disorders or gait insecurity, memory difficulties and urinary incontinence. However, these symptoms at an advanced age do not always make one think of aging brain pressure, but rather of incipient Parkinson’s disease or dementia, so that the aging brain pressure can often be easily overlooked. However, in contrast to these diseases, age-related cerebral pressure or normal pressure hydrocephalus can be cured by timely elimination of the increase in cerebral pressure.
Increased cerebral pressure in the baby
In infants, the intracranial pressure can often rise. This can be caused by normal developmental processes, stress due to the birth process, the “baby’s hydrocephalus” or an open back. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms in babies as early as possible and to interpret them correctly.
Initially, vomiting, restlessness and weeping may occur. Increased jitteriness and sensitivity to touch are also typical. The “sunset phenomenon” is often to be recognized. The child’s eyeball rolls down strongly, so that the iris disappears and only white is visible in the eyes. Since the head is still growing, a protrusion of the still open skull sutures (“fontanelles”) and an enlargement of the head can be observed.
Increased cerebral pressure in children
Increased intracranial pressure in children is often caused by hydrocephalus (dilatation of the fluid spaces/ventricles of the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid), which can be either congenital or acquired. The congenital hydrocephalus is usually present in the womb or at birth and is often caused by a genetic abnormality, malformations of the bony skull, the fluid spaces or the brain itself, whereby all circumstances can lead to a flow disorder of the cerebrospinal fluid. Among the causes leading to acquired hydrocephalus are infections (e.g.B.
toxoplasmosis), inflammation of the brain or meninges, cerebral hemorrhages, brain tumors, previous trauma or brain surgery. A particular feature of increased intracranial pressure in children is that a characteristic deformation of the skull can occur if it occurs before the cranial sutures and fontanelles have closed or grown together with the bones. Early detection of increased intracranial pressure in children can be very difficult for parents, as children are often not yet able to clearly formulate and localize their symptoms.
If the child reports headaches, nausea and/or vomiting, other causes are usually more likely (especially flu, gastrointestinal infections), but increased intracranial pressure should at least be kept in mind. In this context, the absence of fever would tend to indicate an increase in intracranial pressure and not an infectious cause. Although ophthalmoscopy (ophthalmoscopy of the back of the eye) plays an important role in medical diagnostics, it is not suitable for parental detection of increased intracranial pressure, as the intracranial pressure signs develop over a long period of time and can only be detected with special examination equipment. Parents should be alarmed if they notice a certain apathy or apathy in their child, especially in very young children who are not yet able to express their symptoms in speech. In case of doubt, a doctor should always be consulted immediately, as long-term increased intracranial pressure can cause lasting impairment of brain development, especially in children.
