{"id":25712,"date":"2020-06-05T15:11:54","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T19:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/?p=25712"},"modified":"2026-03-09T13:27:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:27:42","slug":"powerful-hydrocephalus-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/powerful-hydrocephalus-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Powerful Facts About Hydrocephalus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Use our hydrocephalus facts<\/strong> and stats to educate your friends, family, and social followers. Together, we can build public awareness about this condition!<\/h3>\n

1. <\/b>Hydrocephalus is a life-threatening condition that affects more than 1 million<\/strong> Americans.<\/p>\n

2. <\/b>Anyone, at any age, can develop hydrocephalus.<\/p>\n

3. <\/b>In the United States, one out of every 770 babies\u00a0<\/b>will develop hydrocephalus, making it as common as Down syndrome and more common than spina bifida or brain tumors.<\/p>\n

4. <\/b>There is no way to prevent hydrocephalus and there is no cure. The only known treatment requires brain surgery.<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. <\/b>Hydrocephalus is the most common reason for brain surgery in children.<\/p>\n

6. <\/b>The most common surgical treatment for hydrocephalus is the surgical placement of a medical device called a shunt, which has one of the highest failure rates of any medical device on the market.<\/p>\n

7. <\/b>An estimated 50% of shunts<\/strong> in the pediatric population fail within two years<\/strong> of placement and repeated neurosurgical operations are often required.<\/p>\n

8. <\/b>There are approximately 10,000 pediatric hospital admissions for shunt malfunctions each year.<\/p>\n

9. <\/b>Hydrocephalus and a shunt can mean a lifetime of multiple brain surgeries<\/strong>. Dozens of brain surgeries are common and 100 or more is not unheard of.<\/p>\n

10. <\/b>The core technology used to develop the shunt has not changed significantly since the 1950’s.<\/p>\n

11. <\/b>Over 36,000 shunt surgeries are performed each year (one every 15 minutes) and more than half of them represent emergencies.<\/p>\n

12. <\/b>Pediatric hydrocephalus alone accounts for more than 40,000 hospital admissions each year (400,000 hospital days.)<\/p>\n

13. <\/b>The hospital charges for hydrocephalus are over $2 billion per year.<\/p>\n

14. <\/b>Up to half (50%) of infants diagnosed with hydrocephalus will have a learning disability.<\/p>\n

15. <\/b>Since 2000, more than 450,000 U.S. service members have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), one cause of hydrocephalus. It is estimated that 14% of those who suffered a severe TBI could develop hydrocephalus.<\/p>\n

16. <\/b>An estimated 800,000 older Americans are believed to have normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)<\/strong>, but often are misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or dementia. When correctly diagnosed and treated, the patient often can return to full functioning!<\/p>\n

17. <\/b>Accurately diagnosing adult hydrocephalus would save Medicare in excess of $184M over five years.<\/p>\n

18. <\/b>The Hydrocephalus Association provides free support and education to individuals, families, and medical professionals dealing with the complex issues of this condition.<\/p>\n

19. <\/b>Since 2009, HA has invested over $17 million in research<\/strong>, making it the largest non-profit, non-governmental funder of hydrocephalus research in the U.S. Our grantees have gone on to secure over $94 million in additional funding to continue their research.<\/p>\n

20.<\/strong> In the United States, shunt revision and CSF diversion surgeries account for nearly one third of all neurosurgical procedures annually.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t

Learn More:<\/h2>\n

About Hydrocephalus<\/a><\/p>\n

About Hydrocephalus in Infants and Children<\/a><\/p>\n

About Hydrocephalus in Adults<\/a><\/p>\n

About Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\r\n

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