Each year, nearly half a million people worldwide die from brain aneurysms.
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain.
Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Dr Chris Fox says there are two broad categories of aneurysms: ruptured aneurysms, which are neurosurgical emergencies, and unruptured aneurysms, where there is time to establish a treatment plan that may involve multiple options.
“For unruptured aneurysms, we have the ability to plan and make a decision on the best treatment upfront in a non-emergent situation,” he says.
But when a brain aneurysm ruptures, prompt medical attention is required.
“Typically, when we see a patient with a ruptured aneurysm, we treat it as quickly as possible.
“That’s usually within a matter of hours because there’s a risk that the aneurysm can rerupture,” he says.
Symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm can include severe head pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion and loss of consciousness.
“The classic presentation for a ruptured aneurysm is a patient has the worst headache of their life,” Dr Fox says.
Brain aneurysms are more common in women, and there may be a genetic component because aneurysms can run in families.
“But smoking and hypertension are two of the biggest risk factors for causing an aneurysm or having an aneurysm form,” he says. – Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service
