A shunt significantly improves symptoms for about 75% of people with hydrocephalus. Shunt blockages and infections are possible complications.
Dear Dr. Roach: I am an 84-year-old woman who was recently diagnosed with hydrocephalus after an MRI scan. I understand that there isn’t any treatment besides a shunt. Do you have any recommendations? I do not want to go through this procedure.Normal pressure hydrocephalus is an uncommon problem most commonly found in people over 60. There are three types of symptoms that are found in NPH: changes in a person’s walking; memory loss as well as other mental changes; and urinary incontinence.
Urinary urgency, the sense of needing to get to a bathroom right away, can lead to incontinence due to the slow gait, but when the condition is more advanced, a person can have apathy and not really care that they are having incontinence. Only when all of the diagnostic criteria are fulfilled and the person clearly gets better after fluid removal is a shunt considered. The gait is most likely to improve with a shunt. Advanced neurological changes often do not get better, which is why making the diagnosis and beginning treatment quickly is important.
Dear Dr. Roach: I have been on a daily low dose of acyclovir for years to prevent a flare-up of a herpes keratitis ulcer in one of my corneas. I read somewhere that antivirals like acyclovir may help prevent Alzheimer’s. Is there any truth to this?Among people with active or latent herpes, treatment with acyclovir and similar drugs was found to reduce dementia risk by about 10%, compared to no treatment.
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