Cysts or tumors. Heredity, but it affects only males. Bleeding over the surface of the brain. Leukemia involving the brain. If something blocks the flow of CSF in the foetus, the child can be born with hydrocephalus to such a degree that vaginal birth is not possible.
Delivery has to be by cesarean section.
If hydrocephalus occurs some time after birth, the infant's head will enlarge more rapidly than normal. Scalp veins will be dilated. The eyes may deviate downward. In the older child, when the bones of the skull have partially fused together, the symptoms of hydrocephalus may be more subtle. The child may be irritable and tired all the time.