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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffPremature infants have an increased risk of severe bleeding within the ventricles of the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage), which can lead to hydrocephalus.
Certain problems during pregnancy may increase an infant's risk of developing hydrocephalus, including:
- An infection within the uterus
- Problems in fetal development, such as incomplete closure of the spinal column
Congenital or developmental defects not apparent at birth also can increase older children's risk of hydrocephalus.
Other factors that increase your risk of hydrocephalus include:
- Lesions or tumors of the brain or spinal cord
- Central nervous system infections
- Bleeding in the brain
- Severe head injury
- Hydrocephalus fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydrocephalus.htm?css=print. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Fishman MA. Hydrocephalus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Golden JA, et al. Developmental structural disorders. In: Goetz GD. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/150609977-3/864809399/1488/253.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3618-0..10028-1_1756. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- About hydrocephalus: A book for families. Hydrocephalus Association. http://www.hydroassoc.org/docs/AboutHydrocephalus-A_Book_for_Families_Dec08.pdf. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Meningococcal: Who needs to be vaccinated? http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/mening/who-vaccinate.htm. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Accessed July 17, 2009.
