Nov 6, 2008 11:53 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Alzheimer's-Like Disease Curable
Symptoms Of N-P-H Very Much Like Dreaded Disease, But Can Be Corrected With Fairly Routine Procedure
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.
A few years ago, 72-year-old Barbara Adus' busy and independent life came to a screeching halt.
"I didn't want to leave the house and I was very depressed," Adus 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 Gerald Adus said.
Her family feared it was dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
"Well, I was very upset," Gerald said. "I didn't know what was going on with her."
Months went by before an MRI proved she had a common and reversible illness called N-P-H.
"N-P-H, or normal pressure hydrocephalus, is a disorder where spinal fluid that is normally made in the brain is not being effectively handled by the brain," said Dr. Michael Kaplitt of New York-Presbyterian/Weil Cornell.
The spinal fluid builds up and puts pressure on the brain, causing the debilitating symptoms.
Experts say 5 percent of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, actually have N-P-H 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 with walking and there's no clear explanation for it, it is certainly something that should be high on the list," Dr. 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 Adus said. "Gradually, gradually I started to recover and it was amazing."
"I call her my miracle lady because she is," Gerald Adus added.
Barbara Adus 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. Don't accept that," she said.
In most cases of N-P-H, 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 symptoms suddenly.
Ninety percent of patients who are diagnosed with N-P-H will benefit from treatment.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Most Useless Facts
Click to enlarge
CBS 2 Exclusive: Back From The Dead 1 hr 11 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments