Prevention of hydrocephalus is a more complex matter, as there are more possible causes. They include congenital disorder, post-infections, and cerebral hemorrhages or tumors.

However improving maternal and child health care and improving immunization coverage is believed to prevent some of the post –infectious cases.

Adequate and timely referral for treatment of hydrocephalus prevents secondary disabilities such as blindness and brain damage. Also remember that in our earlier news reports about hydrocephalus we told you that hydrocephalus, also called Water on the Brain, is a condition in which there is an abnormal build up of fluids in the cavities of the brain. The buildup is often caused by an obstruction which prevents proper fluid drainage.

The fluid buildup raises pressure inside the skull which compresses surrounding brain tissue, causing progressive enlargement and softening of the head, convulsions, and brain damage. Hydrocephalus can be fatal if left untreated. Spina bifida and hydrocephalus are very expensive conditions to manage as they require much labour and money.

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A child can have both spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Approximately two third of children with spina bifida in Uganda also develop progressive hydrocephalus. Ventricles or cavities of the brain in all persons produce cerebral-spinal fluids and it is absorbed in the brain and spinal cord.

However, hydrocephalus develops if there is no balance between the cerebral-spinal fluids produced and that that which is absorbed. This can also occur with people without spina bifida. If the natural circulation of CSF is obstructed, fluid accumulates in the brain and hydrocephalus results.

The excess fluid presses on the brain causing damage to the surrounding tissue. In babies and infants where the skull is still soft, the head enlarges. This obstruction of the normal CSF pathways can be caused by abnormal brain anatomy as is the case with spina bifida. It can also be the result of meningitis (cerebral malaria), trauma or intracranial bleeding which occurs more frequently following premature birth. Hydrocephalus, also called Water on the Brain, is a condition in which there is an abnormal build up of fluids in the cavities of the brain. The buildup is often caused by an obstruction which prevents proper fluid drainage.

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There are two major types of cancerous brain tumours. There is Medullo blastoma, which Dr. Richard Idro, a neuro paediatrician at Mulago Hospital in Kampala says it develops at the back of the person’s brain and it may spread to other parts of the brain. The second type of cancerous brain tumours is ‘gliomas’, which Dr. Michael Muhumuza, a neuro-surgeon at Mulago Hospital says it develops from the supporting cells of the brain known as glial cells.
Dr. Michael Muhumuza says the symptoms, dangers and signs of cancerous brain tumours depend on the location and how it affects the brain.

Doctors define brain as a bonny cage with fixed amount of space. When a tumour develops in the brain, it compresses the brain, causing pressure in it. The increased pressure on the brain causes constant headaches, vomiting, seizures, vision problems and speech problems depending on where the tumour is located on the brain.  One needs a brain magnetic scan or resonance image scan to get a picture of a cancerous brain tumour. Treatment of cancerous brain tumours: cancerous brain tumours in most cases are treated using surgery.

Walakira Nyanzi

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Severe brain tumours may make people to lose balance on the ground. Its effects may kill skin colour, and affect growth.

To some people, the problem worsens after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. Radiotherapy, one of the methods doctors use in the treatment of brain tumours may also affect someone’s balance on the ground, according to Dr. Richard Idro, a neuro paediatrician at Mulago Hospital in Kampala.

Dr. Idro says that brain cancers in children are fatal if not detected and managed properly in its initial stages.  Around the world, hundreds of people, especially children of all ages have lost their lives to brain cancer.

Dr. Idro says that the actual cause of brain cancer is not known. Cancerous brain tumours may be either primary or secondary. Primary cancerous brain tumours may develop in the brain. But secondary brain tumours develop when cells from a cancer that started in different parts of the body spreads to the brain.

Walakira Nyanzi

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A stroke is always a medical emergency. If you have these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs, sudden vision changes in one or both eyes, sudden difficulty walking due to dizziness, loss of balance and in-coordination and sudden piercing headaches without cause.

Stroke happens when the blood supplied to the brain is interrupted and the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs.

The condition is a medical emergency and every minute counts, according to Dr. Aisha Lukwago, an expert in treating Africans.

A stroke can be categorized as ISCHEMIC or HEMORRHAGIC STROKE. An Ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in the brain. But 80% of all strokes are ischemic. Haemorrhagic on the other hand is caused by blood vessels in the brain that breaks and breads into the brain. About 20% of strokes are haemorrhagic. Stroke is dangerous because it injures the brain, therefore immediately one suspects, he/she should see a doctor.

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Avocado and Beans: the high levels of folate in avocado help to protect against stroke. The fruit also has a combination of good fats.

Fiber and potassium make avocado able to present stroke caused by hypertension, excess cholesterol and heart disease. Eating avocado, coupled with reducing fried foods and fatty meats helps to reduce stroke. Beans and Vegetables are also rich in folate [vitamin B9]. STROKE happens when the blood supplied to the brain is interrupted and the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs. A stroke can be categorized as ISCHEMIC or HEMORRHAGIC STROKE.

An Ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in the brain. But 80% of all strokes are ischemic. Haemorrhagic on the other hand is caused by blood vessels in the brain that breaks and breads into the brain. About 20% of strokes are haemorrhagic. Stroke is dangerous because it injures the brain, therefore immediately one suspects, he/she should see a doctor.

Stroke can be prevented by changing life style. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol levels, keep them under control.

About 30 minutes of exercise daily a least 5 days a week will be good. Try to lose weight in case of obesity.

SYMPTOMS OF STROKE: You may experience a sudden numbness or paralysis and weakness on one side of the body. In most cases, immediately one gets a stroke, the brain cells begin to die and the symptoms present. Its important to recognise the symptoms as prompt treatment is crucial. One may also experience trouble walking since one side of the body is paralysed. You may also feel dizzy and lose balance and coordination. One may also experience severe headache and blurred or double vision. One one may also experienced a sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech e.g a person may mix up things and talk about things which do not coordinate.

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The post Types of foods that treat stroke first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

STROKE happens when the blood supplied to the brain is interrupted and the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs.

The condition is a medical emergency and every minute counts.  A stroke can be categorized as ISCHEMIC or HEMORRHAGIC STROKE.

An Ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in the brain. But 80% of all strokes are ischemic. Haemorrhagic on the other hand is caused by blood vessels in the brain that breaks and breads into the brain.

About 20% of strokes are haemorrhagic. Stroke is dangerous because it injures the brain, therefore immediately one suspects, he/she should see a doctor.

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 Scientists in Uganda have discovered that most cases of memory loss, brain damage and cardiac arrest in Uganda, East and central Africa and across Africa at large is caused by lightening strikes. Most cases of lightening in Africa are unprecedented, according to the commissioner for Meteorology Michael Nkalubo.

Nkalubo says that 10% of the lightning strikes in Uganda and across Africa result into death, while about 70% of lightening strikes lead to permanent injuries including cardiac arrest, brain damage and memory loss.

The commissioner advises that when there is a slight drizzle accompanied by strong winds one should run away and keep indoors or get into the cars in order to stay safe.

 Lightening episodes in Uganda are highest compared to other African countries over the years. Commissioner Nkalubo contributes the occurrence of lightening in Uganda to large amounts of iron in the soil.

“Most parts of Uganda like Buikwe, Tororo, Kiryandongo in Masindi and Entebbe sub district have got a lot of iron in the soil,” commissioner Nkalubo says.

Studies are going on in Uganda to establish other areas prone to lightening strikes. He further teaches Ugandans that lightening is caused when clouds are moving and at a certain point form opposite charges (positive and negative charges) which in turn form electric current accompanied by thunder. He says that the lethal lightening strikes are usually between the clouds and the soil. To stay away from lightening strikes, one must keep indoors and keep away from windows. Nkalubo says that it is dangerous to keep walking in the open when there is a slight drizzle accompanied by violent clouds. W

Walakira Nyanzi

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RABIES refers to as fatal viral infection which is transmitted to humans through the bite of rabid domestic animals like dogs, or wild animals such as foxes.

In most cases symptoms of rabies take 10 days to three months to show out, but the symptoms may vary from one week to a year, depending on the site of the bite and the rabies viral load in the human body.

The doctors at the Rabies clinic in Entebbe sub district say that if a person is bitten on the head the symptoms of rabies present in a shorter time. This is because the nearer to the brain, the shorter the incubation period of rabies.

Some of the symptoms of rabies are:- the virus spread through the central nervous system and damages the brain and the spinal cord. The initial symptoms are fever, pain or unexplained tingling, pricking or burning sensation at the wound side. Other symptoms are pain and difficulty in swallowing, abdominal pain, a lot of thick and sticky saliva as well as restlessness. In the late stages, the child gets mental confusion, convulsions, paralysis, hydrophobia [fear of water]. The victim may get into comma and suffer heart and respiratory failure.

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Hydrocephalus is increasingly becoming a health threat in Uganda and in many African states. The disease can be referred to as an accumulation of fluids in the brain.

This watery fluid travels through the ventricles around the brain, down to the spinal cord, returning to the blood through special veins.

However when it doesn’t return to the blood as fast as it is produced, hydrocephalus develops. Some members of the society associate it with witchcraft.

About 30% of the children are born with hydrocephalus while 70% of the cases result from newborn infections (inflammation of the ventricles in the brain) and meningitis which block the vessels of the brain, preventing absorption and flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Other causes of hydrocephalus are congenital. As a result the fluid can’t get to the brain. This puts pressure on the brain, leading to increase in head size. This may also result from head injuries, tumours, scars and spinal bifida (spinal defect), according to Dr. Aisha Lukwago, a senior druggist in Kampala.

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