AKRON, INDIANA — Liquid oozing from your orifices is not always good, and what you assume is mucus or water from the shower might turn out to be something more terrifying. <br /> <br />53-year-old Mark Hoffman says he always woke up in the morning to find his pillow soaking wet, and one ear leaking a clear fluid, reports the Indianapolis Star. <br /> <br />His problem persisted, but it would be another 10 years before a doctor figured out the cause of his peculiar ailment. <br /> <br />Hoffman was diagnosed with a spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak, in which a hole in the skull bone and membrane, or dura, leaks fluid into either the ear or nose. <br /> <br />The condition has become more widespread in the past decade, a trend medical experts believe may be related to obesity and sleep apnea. <br /> <br />The leaks can cause headaches, vision changes, or hearing loss. <br /> <br />Cerebrospinal fluid leaks are often treated with a surgical procedure in which bone and tissue are grafted to the holes in the skull and in the dura. <br /> <br />Patients are also more 15 to 20 percent more likely to develop meningitis, a potentially fatal infection in the lining of the brain, if the leak is a result of surgery or trauma. <br /> <br />Hoffman has since had the surgery, and although he still suffers hearing loss, he feels better.
