For any brain pathologies and dysfunctions nervous systems s a person cannot be considered fully able to work. A completely reasonable question arises whether hydrocephalus and the army are compatible, because the disease is quite serious. But it all depends on the person’s condition and the preservation of brain functions. How does the law interpret this situation?

Features and forms of the disease

Literally, the term “hydrocephalus” is translated as “dropsy of the brain.” This means that the disease is dropsy. It most often occurs in newborns, but can begin to develop at any age. Hydrocephalus of the brain is the accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid (constantly circulating cerebral fluid) in the subarachnoid space and ventricles. As a result, due to an increase in the volume of the ventricular system of the brain, compression of the brain occurs, which leads to neurological pathological conditions.

Normally, cerebrospinal fluid is formed by vascular structures and circulates freely between the subarachnoid space and the ventricles, providing the protective functions of the brain. As a result of head injuries, meningitis, encephalitis or severe intoxication of the body, the amount of fluid increases sharply, which leads to an increase in intracranial pressure and the occurrence of hypertensive-hydrocephalic syndrome. The cause is also colloidal cystic formations and brain tumors. The disease is fraught with the following disorders in the body:

• convulsions;
• strabismus;
• gaze paresis;
• limb weakness.

With severe progression, neurological damage, decreased intellectual abilities and death occur.

Disease classification:

• along the course there are acute and chronic forms;
• communicating and closed;
• decompensated and compensated;
• external and internal hydrocephalus.

The course of the disease in adults and children differs. In the second case, the clinical picture may be mild or absent, especially in the decompensated stage.

In other cases, the symptoms are well expressed, manifested in the following factors:

1. Downward displacement of the eyeballs.
2. Strabismus and nystagmus.
3. Dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
4. Vestibular disorders (gait instability).
5. Severe headaches and tinnitus.
6. Optic nerve atrophy.
7. Inability to concentrate.

In some cases with moderate hydrocephalus, a mental disorder is observed, which is expressed in neurasthenia, a sharp change in state from apathy to euphoria. The higher the cranial pressure, the more aggressive behavior may occur.

Legislation on military service for men diagnosed with hydrocephalus

Having received a summons from the military registration and enlistment office, the conscript must appear at the appointed time, having with him a passport, birth certificate and outpatient card.

Having checked the arrival mark, the young man receives a referral to undergo a military medical examination. If a young man has a medical history and is concerned about whether he will be accepted into the army with this pathology, he must present additional certificates and extracts from the medical history.

Medical experts then analyze the data to make a decision. In doing so, they are guided by the Government Decree Russian Federation No. 565 dated July 4, 2013, as amended on March 30, 2017, which includes the “Schedule of Diseases.” The question of whether someone with hydrocephalus will be accepted into the army is regulated by Art. 23.

In this article we're talking about about systemic atrophies affecting the central nervous system, extrapyramidal and other degenerative pathologies, diseases of the myoneural synaptic node and muscle structure, congenital malformations of the nervous system, brain tumors with significant, moderate, insignificant growths and in the presence of objective information without dysfunction. The progressive course also matters: fast or slow.

Thus, hydrocephalus is a slowly progressive disease with mild symptoms, that is, the conscript suffers from headaches and dizziness. Thus, the young man falls under category B, receives a military ID and is sent to the reserves for conscription in wartime.

If the cause of dropsy is the brain, the young person receives a delay in order to undergo treatment. If the therapy has a positive effect, symptoms do not appear for a long time, theoretically the young man can be drafted into the army after examination, assigning him category B4, that is, limited suitability.

But in practice, military medical experts rarely do this, leaving category B. The only thing that may be needed is an additional examination to confirm the diagnosis of cerebral hydrocephalus with impaired function. For this purpose, the conscript is sent to undergo a series of diagnostic tests: CT, MRI, X-ray, spinal puncture.

Help

If you are sure that your illness falls under the category of unfitness, and the military medical commission decides that you will have to serve, you need to go to court. Ask our lawyers questions directly on the website, they will tell you how to draw up a statement, whether the decision is illegal and whether you have the right to challenge it.

Sign up for free
legal advice

We’ll call you within 5 minutes → We’ll answer your questions → We’ll sign you up for a free consultation (optional)

How we are working

Analysis of the situation

Detailed analysis
happened situation

Screening test

Assessing the chances of
enlistment

Action plan

Compilation
personal plan
effective action

Comprehensive consulting and
maintenance until receiving military
tickets

Epilepsy is considered one of the most complex neurological diseases. This is a condition characterized by seizures with motor disturbances that are not provoked by immediate factors. Pathology can have different manifestations depending on the site of brain damage and etiology. Whether epilepsy and the army are compatible, the decision of the medical commission on this matter depends on the nature of the attacks.

For many years, endocrine diseases have been characteristic of mature and elderly people. Over the past 10 years, the situation has changed dramatically, and pathology of the endocrine system has become common among children and adolescents.

That is why young people of military age have questions about whether they are recruited into the ranks of the armed forces with similar diseases? Conscripts’ doubts are explained by the fact that functional disorders of the thyroid gland negatively affect the functioning of internal organs and systems.

The first thing that worries a conscript when he receives a summons to the military registration and enlistment office is the question of how to pass the commission. For some young people, military service is an important step, while others try to avoid it by any means, collecting certificates about their illnesses. Both the former and the latter are interested in which pathologies are given a deferment or complete exemption. Whether people with diabetes are accepted into the army is one of these questions.

Specifics of the disease

Even during the pre-conscription period, young men undergo annual medical examinations, according to which their service in the army is subsequently determined, that is, suitability or unsuitability. Young people with serious health problems are exempt from conscription into the country's Armed Forces. If someone with diabetes mellitus is accepted into the army, does this pathology fall into category D (complete unfitness) according to the “Schedule of Diseases”?

Diabetes is a disease that has different forms and course. These are endocrine disorders in the body associated with insufficient insulin production, resulting in improper absorption of glucose. Diabetes is accompanied by persistent hyperglycemia, a violation of all types of metabolism in the body. There are two types: insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent:

1. With type 2, a conscript can be sent to the reserve as fit for service in wartime, but provided that his illness is not aggravated by complications. .
2. With type 1 diabetes and the army are completely incompatible, young man with such a disease is considered completely unfit.

There are several reasons that are an obstacle to serving:

• you should follow a certain diet;
• food must be taken strictly at certain hours depending on the insulin injection regimen;
• constant medication or insulin injections are required;
• physical activity and intense sports activities can lead to sudden changes in sugar levels, which is very dangerous for diabetics;
• the course of the disease is often characterized by increased fatigue.

According to the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, which came into force on July 4, 2013 and edited on March 30, 2019, a Schedule of Diseases was approved defining the categories of suitability or unsuitability for the army. This legislative act deals with diabetes in Art. 13 (“Diseases of the endocrine system, nutritional disorders and metabolic disorders”).

This article states that diabetics who fall under category B, that is, conscripts whose glycemia is adjusted exclusively by diet and does not exceed 8.9 mmol/liter for one day, can be considered partially fit for service.

Which diabetics will definitely not be accepted?

This disease is considered one of the most complex of the endocrine group of pathologies. This is due to the fact that with diabetes there is a high risk of complications and other concomitant pathologies. If there are the following violations, medical military experts will refuse to allow a conscript to serve even in wartime:

1. These are angiopathy and neuropathy. Most often, the lower extremities are affected, on which ulcerative formations can appear at the slightest injury.
2. Due to damage to the microvasculature (capillaries), the limbs lack oxygen, resulting in ischemia, which leads to gangrene.
3. In diabetes, kidney function is impaired, which leads to organ failure. This is fraught with intoxication and serious condition. Nephropathy.
4. The retina also reacts to the development of hyperglycemia. At first, vision deteriorates, but in the absence of adequate therapy and compliance with diet and injections, blindness can occur. Retinopathy.
5. Since the blood vessels are also affected, the risk of developing diabetic foot is high. In this case, the diabetic is prescribed to wear special shoes, which is impossible in the army.

In addition, according to medical statistics, people suffering from diabetes should control their blood pressure to prevent the development of hypertension.

If you really want to serve

Despite the widespread belief that conscripts mostly try, there are quite a lot of those who strive to serve in the Armed Forces. And sometimes young men try to hide the fact that they have diabetes from the medical board. It is almost impossible to do this. Military medical experts carefully study not only the documents provided by the young man, but also the results of the tests that must be taken after receiving the summons.

If even the slightest suspicion arises, the conscript will be sent for additional examination. The only thing that can be achieved with a non-insulin-dependent type of disease is to undergo a course of treatment in a hospital. After this, you will have to undergo a medical examination again, and if there is a significant improvement, you can apply for service with restrictions. But this is also quite difficult, because even if the disease is temporary, after a year it can worsen and become more complicated.

Help

If, despite all the documents provided about the presence of diabetes, you are still sent to the army, know that this is illegal. You can find out how to act in such cases from our lawyers. Ask questions, we respond promptly and help conscripts deal with even complex problems.

Whether a young man with hydrocephalus will serve in the army largely depends on his condition (the presence of decreased functions and the severity of symptoms). An examination for dropsy of the brain is carried out according to Article 23 of the Schedule of Diseases.

Hydrocephalus of the brain and medical examination before the army

The disease is associated with many unpleasant consequences; it is characterized by symptoms such as impaired coordination or decreased vision, frequent headaches and neurological disorders. The formation of excessive amounts of fluid in the ventricular system of the brain can occur at different ages and for various reasons. The consequences of dropsy of the brain can be extremely serious, including a decrease in intellectual abilities and the development of severe neurological disorders. The so-called external accumulation of fluid is formed due to the development of pathologies: atherosclerosis, hypertension or head injury.

Internal congestion may be affected birth defects development of the central nervous system or inflammatory processes, trauma, cysts and other neoplasms. This is the most common form of the disease. On different stages symptoms will appear (see figure). Whether someone with hydrocephalus will be accepted into the army largely depends on how severe the symptoms are and whether there is a decrease in organ function.

The objective basis for making a decision on suitability for the army is the data from the outpatient card and the results of medical diagnostics. Exemption from the army is possible in the presence of impaired brain function. If any medical data is insufficient, the medical board doctor will refer you for additional examination, including computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, radiography. Thus, Article 23 of the Republic of Belarus allows young men with hydrocephalus and impaired brain function to be excluded from conscription; the army is contraindicated.

If the cause of the development of the disease is a cyst or tumor formation, then the medical board doctors will first refer you for treatment. Eligibility for service will be determined by the results of the treatment provided. Successful medical intervention, normalization of the cerebrospinal fluid, may serve as a reason for being sent to the army. Transition of the disease to a compensated form without clinical manifestations allows you to send a young man to the army, assigning the fitness category “B-4” (with a limitation in the choice of troops).

Summarize. To clarify your fitness category, you need to consult a specialist doctor or several, undergo diagnostics, clarifying your health status during the conscription period. Based on the results obtained, it will be possible to determine with confidence whether you will be drafted into the army or not.

A deferment from the army can be obtained only when a systematic increase in ICP and associated pathologies is diagnosed. A one-time increase is not grounds for release.

When young men at the age of seventeen first come to register at the military registration and enlistment office, the first medical commission always awaits them. Based on this, everyone is assigned a fitness category and their chances of serving in the future are assessed. Whether they are recruited into the army with intracranial pressure is of interest to many parents who are concerned about the health of their child, or is there any hope of getting a deferment with the help of this diagnosis. There are several selection criteria and diagnosis alone is usually not enough; additional examinations and diagnostics are required over several years.

Most often, established intracranial hypertension at any stage becomes a compelling reason for postponing or even declaring complete unsuitability for military service. But in order to receive this exemption, you need to confirm that, against the background of high blood pressure, other disorders have appeared in brain activity and the peripheral nervous system.

One commission can only attest to the manifestations of increased ICP, but in order to receive recognition of unfitness for military service, the conscript must undergo not only numerous examinations, but also long-term observation by a doctor.

Chronic form exempts the young man from service, but also remains a diagnosis for life.

Increased pressure inside the skull is very dangerous with serious consequences. Without treatment, an adult suffers from severe headaches, and sometimes they are accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which affects the quality of life. In addition, the following disorders are observed in addition to cognitive impairment and memory loss, as well as against the background of hypertension:

• impaired visual function, sensation of double vision, pain;
• decreased performance;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• breathing problems in severe cases.

Military service is associated with constant stress and high physical activity. Under their influence, increased symptoms and the occurrence of complications are obvious. It is for this reason that intracranial pressure is a serious reason for delaying it for a while or forever.

Compatibility of intracranial pressure and military service

Despite the fact that diseases caused by ICP, and this condition itself, are grounds for exemption from military service, confirmation of their constancy is necessary.

Single jumps do not mean that the guy will not be taken for military service. Only a few medical commissions, a neurologist’s conclusion, regular visits to a doctor about this, and the results of repeated examinations confirming the diagnosis become powerful arguments for deferment.

When receiving a summons from the military registration and enlistment office, the young man must prepare for the visit and have in hand a report from a therapist and neurologist at his place of residence, along with the results of the examination at the clinic. The medical commission reviews these documents, conducts an examination and, based on the confirmations made, initially gives a deferment for a year.

The next call-up requires repeated examinations, and if the diagnosis is not confirmed, service cannot be avoided. After unsuccessful treatment and substantiation of the diagnosis, the deferment is extended for another year and a special medical consultation commission is appointed to recognize the person as unfit for military service.

What diagnostic tests need to be taken?

Chronic intracranial hypertension and the development of pathological changes can be confirmed only by the results of clinical tests and. Among them, the most informative ones should be highlighted:

• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
• computed tomography (CT);
• X-ray examination;
• blood and urine tests;
• ultrasound examination of blood vessels;
• lumbar puncture.

Not as simple as arterial. This can only be done by inserting a needle with a pressure gauge connected to it into the fluid cavities of the skull or into the spinal canal. But this technique has not been used for a long time due to the high risk to life and the invasiveness of the procedure.

An increase in pressure inside the human skull is confirmed by the presence of characteristic signs. These include the following:

• enlargement of brain cavities with fluid and softening of the brain matter at the edges of the ventricles;
• dilation and tortuosity of the veins when examining the eyes and fundus;
• disturbance of blood circulation in the cranial cavity.

It is almost impossible to assess the extent of brain damage as a result of high blood pressure. Only echoencephalography (EEG) data can give reason to suspect pathological changes. At the same time, the procedure is uninformative and gives not only indirect, but sometimes not very reliable results.

A referral for these examinations can be obtained from a neurologist at your place of residence and from the military medical commission at the military registration and enlistment office.

Liberation from the army

Recognition as unfit for military service for health reasons occurs when it is confirmed that an increase in ICP has caused disturbances in brain activity.

From the point of view of traditional medicine, intracranial pressure is not a separate disease, but only a manifestation of various disorders. They may be the cause of this condition. All diseases that are in one way or another associated with changes in blood pressure are very dangerous; fortunately, they are quite rare.

To get a deferment from the army, you need not only to prove chronic high blood pressure, but also to confirm an illness that will be a contraindication for service. Tumor processes, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis and abscesses in the brain, if not permanently, then temporarily, provide grounds for recognizing unfitness for military service. Besides, great importance has the nature of pathological changes. If the disorders are congenital, then the army will remain only in dreams. Acquired disorders can often be treated, after which the guy returns to a normal, fulfilling life and can go to serve.

Diseases associated with impaired brain function seem to be quite a serious reason for exemption from service. Therefore, conscripts at the medical examination are sometimes faced with an unpleasant surprise - they learn that hydrocephalus and the army are compatible.

People with hydrocephalus are accepted into the army. And the point is not that the military registration and enlistment office fulfills the norm for the number of conscripted citizens. The explanation lies in the document regulating the rules of conscription - the Schedule of Illnesses. Let's figure out together why the military registration and enlistment office is adamant in its decision and who can receive a military ID due to illness.

Hydrocephalus of the brain and the army

Young people with hydrocephalus are examined according to article. The fitness category is set in accordance with the course of the disease. If the anomaly is accompanied by a minor or moderate impairment of function, then the young man has the right to be exempt from conscription and receive a military ID card for health reasons.

Advice from the Recruit Help Service:

All functional disorders must be recorded in the conclusion of a doctor who conducts an additional examination from the military registration and enlistment office.

The answer to the question “whether someone with compensated hydrocephalus is accepted into the army” depends on the health status of the conscript at the time of conscription. People with hydrocephalus are accepted into the army if the pathology does not impair brain function. You can also receive it for shipment if the disease has entered the compensated stage and clinical symptoms do not appear.

Expert opinion

Conscripts who want to get a military ID due to their health either do not know whether it is possible not to serve with their illness, or do not understand how to be exempt from conscription due to their diagnosis. Read the real stories of conscripts who received a military ID in the “” section

Ekaterina Mikheeva, head of the legal department of the Assistance Service for Conscripts

If the doctors decide that the conscript is fit, he will receive a . It is impossible to get into the Airborne Forces or Marine Corps with this fitness category, but you can serve in the communications troops or radio engineering units.

The determination of the fitness category for compensated and decompensated hydrocephalus occurs after completion of an additional examination. The diagnosis will have to be confirmed using computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and radiography, and a lumbar puncture may also be prescribed.

Category of suitability for brain cysts

Sometimes fluid accumulation occurs due to the appearance of tumors. If the cause of hydrocephalus is , then the conscript will not be accepted into the army. First, the young man will receive a deferment and a referral for treatment. Theoretically, if medical intervention proves effective, the cyst will no longer interfere with the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, and the conscript’s health condition stabilizes - the man can be drafted into the army. But, as the practice of the Conscript Assistance Service shows, military registration and enlistment offices usually do not call for service with such a diagnosis.

With respect to you, Maria Krylova, lawyer of the Assistance Service for Conscripts.

Excessive pressure of cerebrospinal fluid, which constantly washes the human brain, or increased intracranial pressure (ICP), is a fairly common pathology. It can be accompanied by serious damage to the central nervous system (CNS), so the question is: “Are people recruited into the army with intracranial pressure?” – is quite relevant for any conscript.

It is worth mentioning right away that the recorded fact of increased ICP during the examination of a young man at the military registration and enlistment office will not be the reason for a deferment from the army or for receiving a military ID. The presence of symptoms of high ICP should be recorded in the patient’s outpatient record, where, in addition to the fact of complaints, the data of an objective examination and prescribed treatment will be reflected.

How to recognize high ICP?

Intracranial hypertension, as a rule, does not go unnoticed - too characteristic symptoms accompany this condition. Intracranial hypertension can be congenital and acquired, acute and chronic. The most common chronic form of pathology, manifestations of which can be:

• headache varying intensity, especially severe pain is observed at night and in the morning;
• fainting, increased sweating, racing blood pressure;
• nausea or vomiting in the morning;
• fatigue uncharacteristic for young people;
• aggressiveness, emotional instability;
• decreased potency/sexual desire.

A regular increase in ICP threatens serious damage to the central nervous system, as well as other disorders - decreased visual/hearing acuity, difficulties with communication, remembering new information, and performing everyday work. If you suspect high ICP, immediate consultation with a specialist - a therapist or neurologist - is necessary.

Is emergency service possible with high ICP?

Today, intracranial hypertension and the military may not be mutually exclusive. Postponement or recognition of a young man as unfit for military service is possible, but for this, ICP must not only be confirmed by relevant medical documents, but also be accompanied by manifestations of concomitant pathologies. The chronic form of increased ICP does not allow active physical activity, which are necessarily present in the army, since they often provoke serious complications.

They can be from both the central and peripheral nervous systems. As a rule, high ICP is not an independent disease, but only a manifestation of other pathologies. If intensive treatment is carried out in a timely manner, the ICP returns to normal, and the young man will go to serve. Congenital pathology in most cases cannot be treated, so a confirmed diagnosis becomes the basis for issuing a military ID card.

Increased intracranial pressure and the army are guaranteed to be incompatible in the following cases:

• high ICP is accompanied by vascular disorders in the brain or spinal cord;
• regular transient ischemia of the brain;
• frequent fainting, accompanied by rare transient ischemia of the brain without signs of organic pathology of the central nervous system;
• frequent hypertensive cerebral crises - at least 3 times a year, confirmed in the patient’s medical documents.

How is cerebral hypertension confirmed?

To confirm ICH, it is necessary to undergo a series of examinations

To receive a deferment from military service, the diagnosis of cerebral hypertension must be confirmed by an objective examination. Typically, the examination includes:

• X-ray examination;
• Ultrasound of blood vessels;
• lumbar puncture;
• general and biochemical blood/urine tests.

In most cases, consultation with specialized specialists is required - a neurologist, neurosurgeon, psychotherapist, cardiologist. Assessing the extent of brain damage requires careful medical observation in a clinical setting. It is difficult to determine in practice how pronounced the pathological process in the brain is; EEG helps partly, but it provides only indirect data.

Treatment of intracranial hypertension

High ICP often provokes serious intracranial deviations, so treatment should proceed in a hospital setting with a fairly high intensity. It depends on the mechanisms of development of intracranial hypertension, and can be either conservative or symptomatic. The first option is used if there is no danger to the patient’s life, and consists of symptomatic treatment. The most commonly used are diuretics, which force the removal of fluid from the body.

For benign intracranial hypertension, diuretics are prescribed

If severe hydrocephalus is observed, surgical intervention may be prescribed using various techniques. The operation helps restore normal outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the subarachnoid space. For neuroinfections, intensive antibacterial therapy is prescribed. If high ICP is caused by tumor processes, high-tech interventions may be prescribed - gamma knife, cyber knife.