INCIDENCE OF HYDROCEPHALUS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN SKOPJE, REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA IN THE PERIOD OF 2019-2021
Keywords:
hydrocephalus, newborns, neurosurgeryAbstract
Hydrocephalus is enlargement of the brain's ventricles or cavities with excess cerebrospinal fluid. The term hydrocephalus comes from the Greek words hydro meaning "water" and cephalus meaning head, so it is sometimes called "water head" among our people. It occurs most often in infants and children, with a frequency of about 1 in 500 live births, although it can also occur in adults, mostly due to brain tumors, after head trauma, meningitis, etc. If left untreated, hydrocephalus leads to brain damage, serious disorders of its function, even death.Aim: To show hydrocephalus as a disease, the incidence of hydrocephalus in children in the last three years (2019 2021), to emphasize the importance of its prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Material and methods: The research was done at the Clinic for Neurosurgery in Skopje. In a retrospective epidemiological study, the data from the histories of patients who came to the neurosurgical clinic for confirmation of the diagnosis of hydrocephalus in the period from 2019 to 2021 were analyzed. The examinees are divided according to age into several groups: one month old (newborns), infants (up to 12 months old), small children 3 5 years old and older children up to 18 years old. Results: In the last three years, a total of 4014 patients with various neurosurgical diagnoses were hospitalized at the Neurosurgery Clinic in Skopje. Of these, 147 patients were aged 0
18 years, of which 95 (64.63%) were diagnosed with hydrocephalus. In 2019, out of a total of 49 hospitalized children, 32 children had hydrocephalus (60%). By age, newborns 7, infants 8, small children from 2 5 years old
4, from 6 12 years old 8 and from 13 18 years old 5. In 2020, out of a total of 51 children, 33 children were with hydrocephalus (61%). According to age, newborns 8, infants 6, small children from 2 5 years old 3, from 6 12 years old 10 and from 13 18 years old 6. In 2021, out of a total of 46 children, 30 had hydrocephalus (70%). According to age, newborns 7, infants 7, small children from 2 5 years old 1, from 6 12 years old 11 and from 13 18 years old 4.
Conclusion: The analysis of the data shows that hydrocephalus is most common in the first year of a child's life, that is, almost equally represented in newborns and infants. It occurs in adults, but it is rarer and usually occurs as a postoperative complication. In terms of gender representation, there was no significant difference, that is, it was equally diagnosed in both male and female children.
References
Abebe MS, Seyoum G, Emamu B, Teshome D. Congenital Hydrocephalus and Associated Risk Factors: An Institution-Based Case–Control Study, Dessie Town, North East Ethiopia. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2022;13:175-182 https://doi.org/10.2147/PHMT.S364447
Albrahim, et al. (2022). Top 100 articles on hydrocephalus. Bibliometric overview of the Top 100 most cited articles on hydrocephalus. Surgical Neurology International. 2022; 13(176)
Dewan, Michael & Rattani, Abbas & Mekary, Rania & Glancz, Laurence & Yunusa, Ismaeel & Baticulon, Ronnie & Fieggen, Graham & Wellons, John & Park, Kee & Warf, Benjamin. (2018). Global hydrocephalus epidemiology and incidence: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Neurosurgery. 130. 1-15. 10.3171/2017.10.JNS17439.
Hochstetler, A., Raskin, J. & Blazer-Yost, B.L. (2022). Hydrocephalus: historical analysis and considerations for treatment. Eur J Med Res 27, 168 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-022-00798-6.
Huang Y., Wu Q., Chen Y., Jiang C., Gong T., Li J., Li L., Zhou C. (2018). Trends in the prevalence of congenital hydrocephalus in 14 cities in Liaoning province, China from 2006 to 2015 in a population-based birth defect registry from the Liaoning Women and Children's Health Hospital. Oncotarget. 2018; 9: 14472-14480. Retrieved from https://www.oncotarget.com/article/24239/text/
Josep Darbà & Alicia Marsà (2022) Hospital incidence and costs of congenital hydrocephalus in Spain: a multicenter retrospective study, Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, 22:5, 877-881, DOI: 10.1080/14737167.2022.2035724
Mohammed Ali Alvi et all. (2021). Prevalence and Trends in Management of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus in the United States: Insights from the National Inpatient Sample. World Neurosurgery. Volume 145, January 2021, Pages e38-e52.