Brain aneurysm – Symptoms, causes, and management options

Brain aneurysm – Symptoms, causes, and management options

Boden Lam

A brain (cerebral) aneurysm is a bulge in a vulnerable section of a blood artery in or near your brain. The vast majority of aneurysms are mild and unimportant. Nonetheless, a ruptured brain aneurysm can be fatal. The worst headache you’ve ever felt is often the first sign of it. If you have symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm, seek medical assistance immediately. However, brain aneurysms may be detected during imaging tests for other disorders.

What are the symptoms of a brain aneurysm?
The vast majority of unruptured brain aneurysms are asymptomatic. On the other hand, a ruptured aneurysm is a serious condition that frequently causes a severe headache. Furthermore, pain and other symptoms may occur if an unruptured aneurysm is pressed against brain tissue or nerves.

  • Ruptured aneurysm

The primary symptom of a ruptured aneurysm is a severe headache, and many people remark that this is the worst headache they have ever had.

In addition to an intense headache, the symptoms of a brain aneurysm can induce the following:

  • diarrhea and nausea
  • stiff neck, double or fuzzy vision, and light sensitivity
  • Seizures with dropped eyelids and consciousness loss
  • Confusion
  • Leaking Aneurysm

Periodically, a small amount of blood may leak from an aneurysm. This frequently leads to a more catastrophic rupture; for example, leaks may occur days or weeks before a rupture.

The following are the symptoms of a brain aneurysm:

  • A sudden, terrible headache could linger for a few days or even two weeks.
  • Unruptured aneurysm

Symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm include:

  • One eye has soreness behind and above it
  • An enlarged pupil
  • A shift in vision or double vision
  • One side of the face is numb

Causes
Beyond 40, the chances of developing a brain aneurysm increase. Another option is that you were born with a blood vessel defect. But, again, women are more likely than men to have aneurysms.
Aneurysms typically form when blood vessels split off because particular parts of the blood arteries are often weaker. Therefore, you must seek emergency medical assistance if your brain aneurysm breaks or leaks, resulting in a hemorrhagic stroke. Although unusual, this could put your life in danger. Typically, a healthcare professional cannot tell why the brain aneurysm ruptured. Yet, experts are aware of a few conditions that may raise your risk of bleeding:

  • High blood pressure

This is the most common cause of burst brain aneurysms.

  • Straining or hefty lifting

Lifting or straining puts your brain aneurysm at risk of rupturing.

  • Intense feelings

If you are annoyed or agitated, you run the chance of having an aneurysm.

  • Prescribed treatment

Aneurysms can be caused by blood thinners or over-the-counter and prescription medicines such as amphetamines and ephedrine used in meal plan prescriptions.

How are aneurysms in the brain identified?
While imaging studies can detect certain brain aneurysms, many are discovered after rupturing. Therefore, early warning signs and symptoms may necessitate a battery of tests to determine the presence of a brain aneurysm. If an aneurysm is suspected or you have a family history of brain aneurysms, you may be subjected to the following tests:

  • CT scans, which are specialized X-rays, can detect brain bleeding.
  • MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, creates a detailed brain image.
  • MRA, or magnetic resonance angiography, is a type of MRI that studies blood vessels.

How to treat aneurysms in the brain?

  • If a brain aneurysm is discovered before it ruptures, therapy may be recommended to prevent it from bursting again. While most aneurysms do not rupture, treatment is only given if there is an exceptionally high risk of rupture.
  • Your age, aneurysm size and location, family medical history, and other health concerns can determine recommended treatment. If treatment is recommended, it usually involves either open surgery to close the aneurysm with a tiny metal clip or coiling the aneurysm with tiny metal coils (surgical clipping).
  • Brain aneurysms that have already ruptured are treated the way they are prevented. If the risk of rupture is modest, you will be subjected to routine exams to monitor the aneurysm. You may also be offered blood pressure treatment and advice on reducing your risk of rupture, such as quitting the use of lung-damaging things.
    The goal of treatment for aneurysms (both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms) is to reduce the chance of a future rupture. There are two approaches to this:
  • Endovascular treatment entails delivering “coiling” and “stenting” operations from within the blood vessel with the help of an X-ray-guided catheter threaded through a blood vessel, up through the body, and to the aneurysm.
  • A craniotomy, or bone window in the skull, is required to expose the aneurysm during surgical clipping. The neurosurgeon places a metal clip to the aneurysm’s neck under a microscope to restrict blood flow into the surrounding sac.
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