• Currently, 375,000 Americans are affected with NPH, a treatable and reversible condition that results from the gradual blockage of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-draining pathways in the brain.1

  • The cause of most NPH cases is unknown, making it difficult to diagnose and understand. Compounding this difficulty is the fact that most of the sufferers of NPH are over 60 and some of the symptoms of the condition are similar to the effects of the aging process, as well as diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. NPH accounts for 5 percent to 6 percent of all cases of dementia.2

  • NPH is treated with an implantable shunt — a valve with a tube to divert the excess cerebrospinal fluid to the abdomen — in the brain to maintain normal fluid levels. It is a 45-minute procedure and requires about two days in the hospital.

  • Today the rate of shunting success can be as high as 80 percent if the cause of NPH is known. Researchers recently reported in Neurosurgery that CSF shunting is safe and effective for NPH, with a long-term shunt response rate, or some clinical improvement, of 75 percent.3

  • According to industry estimates, only 11,500 shunt procedures, or 3 percent of the people thought to have NPH, were performed in 2003 due to lack of awareness.

  • The potential costs of not properly diagnosing and treating NPH are very high. The patient may end up in a nursing home or require constant care at home as dementia, incontinence and gait issues worsen as a result of NPH. A 2005 study found that the average cost of nursing home care is more than $74,000 per year.4

  • Treating NPH properly could save the Medicare and Medicaid systems $2.5 billion per year, and would save U.S. business approximately $3 billion per year.5,6

  1. National Council on Aging. "Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)- Prevalence and Diagnosis." http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=109&detail=877 (16 May 2006).

  2. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons. “Adult Onset Hydrocephalus - What is Hydrocephalus?” http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/adult.asp (5 May 2006).

  3. McGirt MJ, Woodworth G, Coon AL, Thomas G, Williams MA, & Rigamonti D. "Diagnosis, treatment and analysis of long-term outcomes in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus." Neurosurgery, 57(4)(2005):699-705.

  4. MetLife Mature Market Institute. "MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home and Home Care Costs." http://www.magaltc.com/maturemarketsurveycharts.pdf (21 May 2006).

  5. Lewin Group, commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Association. “Saving Lives, Saving Money: Dividends for Americans Investing in Alzheimer Research.” http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/statistics.asp (21 May 2006).

  6. Koppel R. “Alzheimer’s Disease: The Costs to U.S. Businesses in 2002.” http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/statistics.asp (21 May 2006)
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