A mother of three, Aundrea Aragon, was diagnosed with severe allergies because she had constant runny nose. For four months, she endured sticking up tissue paper up her nose because it a tasteless and clear fluid is literally pouring down her nose. After going for a second opinion, she has Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak syndrome. It was revealed that what was coming out of her nose was not mucus but her cerebrospinal fluid.
The cerebrospinal fluid is the fluid inside the brain. "It wasn't even dripping, it was pouring out of my nose," Aragon said in an interview. Without immediate diagnosis and treatment, it could lead to serious complication because of the risk for infection.
Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH) was first described by Schaltenbrand1 in 1938 as a potential cause of postural headache. Accordingly, cases were rare. In fact, according to statistics, five out of 100,000 persons may be affected. Females are affected more than men in a 2:1 ratio.
She visited several doctors from the University of Arizona. They then discovered that she has two cracks behind her sphenoid sinus. It can be caused by increased intracranial pressure that is why cerebrospinal fluid is leaking out of her nose.
The brain has the ability to change or replenish cerebrospinal fluid. However, the most crucial thing to consider in this case is infection. Bacteria and other microorganisms can lead to meningitis, a very fatal illness caused by sepsis or infection.
Good news is, the surgeons in the hospital were able to perform an operation to fix the cracks inside Aragon's head. They were able to perform it without any incisions. Rather, they performed an endoscopic procedure that was deemed successful.
Aragon is now recovering from the operation and is thankful that her condition was corrected before it was too late. Furthermore, she needs to be monitored regularly to make sure the cracks are closed and CSF will not leak anymore.
