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Nov 7, 2008 6:30 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Alzheimer's Imitator NPH
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
What if someone you know was diagnosed with Alzheimer's but instead has a condition that can actually be cured?
There's a common illness that can imitate Alzheimer's, and it's important to know the differences.
"I started to have balance problems," Barbara Adus said. "I would fall constantly."
A few years ago, 72-year-old Barbara's busy and independent life came to a screeching halt.
"I didn't want to leave the house and I was very depressed," Barbara said. "I stopped driving, I stopped really socializing, and I really thought my life was coming to an end."
Out of nowhere, she developed difficulty walking, memory problems, and incontinence.
"I would come home and she'd be crying in the corner because she'd fallen so much," husband Gerry Adus said.
Her family feared that the symptoms were the result of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
"I was very upset," Gerry said. "I didn't know what was going on with her."
Months went by, until an MRI proved that she Barbara had a common and reversible illness called NPH.
"NPH, or normal pressure hydrocephalus, is a disorder where spinal fluid that's normally made in the brain is not being effectively handled by the brain," Dr. Michael Kaplitt, of New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital said.
The spinal fluid builds up and puts pressure on the brain, causing the debilitating symptoms.
Experts say that five percent of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, actually have NPH – and that number's expected to go up as the population ages.
"If somebody has been normal and robust and living a fairly active life, and all of a sudden they're having much greater problems and there's no clear explanation for it, [NPH] is certainly something that should be high on the list," Kaplitt said.
It could happen to anyone, but treatment is simple.
"We put a little tube into the brain and that diverts the fluid down into the abdomen, where there's plenty of space and ability for that fluid to be reabsorbed," Kaplitt said.
"I was in the hospital for five days," Barbara said. "Gradually, I started to recover – and it was amazing."
"I call her my miracle lady, because she is," Gerry said.
Barbara has a word of warning for anyone who experiences what she did.
"The key is, don't accept being told that it's part of old age," Barbara said. "Don't accept that."
In most cases of NPH, no cause can be found – but the earlier it's diagnosed, the easier it is to cure.
Don't hesitate to ask your doctor about getting an MRI if you notice similar symptoms that surface abruptly.
Ninety percent of patients who are diagnosed with NPH will benefit from treatment.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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