18-month Old Roona Trapped by her own Gigantic Head
AFRIK UPDATE
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Hydrocephalus is caused by a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, increasing pressure on the brain inside.
The brain constantly produces new cerebrospinal fluid at the rate of about a pint a day, while old fluid is released from the brain and reabsorbed into the blood vessels.
The main treatment for hydrocephalus is to implant a thin tube, called a shunt, in the brain to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid to another part of the body where it can be more easily reabsorbed.
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These heartbreaking pictures show a rural Indian girl of just 18 months
old suffering from hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid inside the skull.
The family of Roona Begum, from the village of Jirania in India's
north-eastern state of Tripura, cannot afford to pay for her to be treated.
Her father Abdul Rahman, 26, works in a brick factory, where he earns
the equivalent of just £1.79 a day.
Hydrocephalus is caused by a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, increasing pressure on the brain inside.
The brain constantly produces new cerebrospinal fluid at the rate of about a pint a day, while old fluid is released from the brain and reabsorbed into the blood vessels.
But if this process is interrupted, as in individuals with
hydrocephalus, levels of the fluid can quickly build up and place pressure on
the brain, causing headaches, blurred vision and, eventually, permanent brain
damage.
'Left untreated, if it progresses very quickly, the babies usually die
because their brain tissues are unable to adapt,' said Gill Yaz, health
development manager for Shine, a UK charity set up to help people affected by
hydrocephalus.
But, she added, if the condition develops more slowly, as in Roona's
case, the child adapts by growing their skulls to contain the excess fluid.
However, the adaptation can only go so far.
The main treatment for hydrocephalus is to implant a thin tube, called a shunt, in the brain to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid to another part of the body where it can be more easily reabsorbed.
The shunt has a valve inside it to control the flow of fluid and to
ensure it does not drain too quickly, which those treated can feel as a lump
under the skin of their scalps.
Ms Yaz told MailOnline: 'It's done by paediatric neurosurgeons, but its
not a very demanding procedure. The operation usually lasts about 30 minutes.'
The shunts themselves usually cost a few hundred pounds, she said, going
up to around £800 for the state-of-the-art models.
Source:Mailonline
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