Assemblywoman Fiona Ma: Hydrocephalus Awareness

Hydrocephalus is a potentially deadly medical condition the public may never have heard of. It is believed to be one of the earliest diseases documented in literature by the Ancient Greeks, who referred to it as "water on the brain."

Despite this early presence in medical history, little has been done to advance the way in which we treat the disease up to today. Hydrocephalus affects an estimated one million Americans. It is caused by a buildup of fluid in the brain, which causes the pressure of fluids in the brain to increase. It can cause debilitating symptoms or loss of brain function. It can be accompanied by such serious conditions as Spina Bifida or Cerebral Palsy.

The condition can result from infections of the nervous system, lesions in the brain or spinal chord or other traumatic brain injury, but it does not necessarily require these conditions. It can strike any person at any time without known reasons in many cases.

What is known is that one to two out of every 100,000 babies will be born with the condition and another 350,000 adults will develop it in their lifetime. Some of the symptoms of Hydrocephalus are depression, cognitive deficiencies, learning disabilities, headaches and other forms of chronic pain. Unfortunately, because the condition shares similar characteristics, it is often misdiagnosed as dementia, Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

Right now, there is no cure for hydrocephalus. The most common method of treatment available is to put a synthetic tube in the ventricles of a person's brain and pump excess fluid out. Scientists believe much more can be done to discover more about this condition. The problem remains that few people seem to even know about Hydrocephalus so the condition remains under-funded and largely under-recognized.

Recently, I introduced legislation to designate the month of September as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. I hope this legislation will honor those who are afflicted by this condition and those who have passed away as a result of it.

My hope is people in and around the City of San Francisco, as well as the entire State of California, will learn more about this condition and support efforts to expand our research to find new methods for treating it. A cure is within our reach.

For more information, call (415) 732-7044 or visit the Web site at www.hydroassoc.org.

Fiona Ma is the Majority Whip at the California Assembly.