Danny Bonaduce’s “Mystery Illness” Explained

(June 6, 2023) – Danny Bonaduce’s recent battle with a “mystery illness” and lack of diagnosis occurs all too frequently. Patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) (estimated to be close to 1 million in the U.S.) present with symptoms of gait disorder, urinary incontinence, and dementia. These people are often misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Disease, vascular dementia, or even normal aging, due to their chronic nature and nonspecific presenting symptoms. Some NPH cases have a history of brain hemorrhage, trauma, or brain infection.  In some cases, no identifiable cause is found.

It is estimated that approximately 800,000 seniors in the U.S. are living with NPH.

Considering the large aging “baby boomer” population, the NPH incidence will increase over the next few decades which will lead to unnecessary institutionalization in assisted living or nursing homes at significant expense to the family or to society. These patients, if properly diagnosed and treated, experience a decrease or reversal of their symptoms allowing them to continue their normal activities of daily living.

An AARP article (December 2013) described NPH as follows: “The condition mimics Alzheimer’s, but it’s far more treatable”.

Consult the Hydrocephalus Association and our website for information on this condition: https://www.hydroassoc.org/about-normal-pressure-hydrocephalus/

ABOUT THE HYDROCEPHALUS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1983 by parents of children with hydrocephalus, the Hydrocephalus Association has grown to become the nation’s largest and most widely respected organization dedicated to hydrocephalus. The Hydrocephalus Association began funding research in 2009. Since then, HA has committed over $15 million to research, making it the largest nonprofit, non-governmental funder of hydrocephalus research in the U.S. For more information, visit www.hydroassoc.org or call (888) 598-3789.