Signs of a brain aneurysm everyone should know
If you're experiencing any of the following symptoms, have it checked out immediately.
What exactly is a brain aneurysm?
A brain aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can be described as looking like a berry hanging from a stem. While most aneurysms don’t rupture or create health problems, those that do trigger bleeding into the brain—a hemorrhagic stroke, which can lead to serious consequences and is life-threatening.
Sudden, severe headache
Headaches may often signal something serious. In an aneurysm, it can be really bad and is often described as the worst headache of your life. What is happening? The leakage of blood is irritating to the brain coverings, causing pain. It’s unlike regular headaches and the pain comes on abruptly, severe and intense.
Double vision or droopy eyelid
This can be caused by an enlarging aneurysm pushing on the nerve that moves your eye. If you suddenly have eye problems like double vision or your eyelids start to droop, you should see a doctor immediately. This is not a wait and see what happens situation.
Weakness or numbness on one side of the body or face
Another sign is when half your face or only one side of your body starts to go numb. This comes from tiny clots leaking out of the aneurysm that are clogging small vessels going to important areas of the brain. An aneurysm is like a blister with a thin wall that can pop and leak blood, wreaking havoc along the way.
Gastrointestinal issues
Your stomach can be revealing – your digestion problems could be worse than you thought. When you have a brain aneurysm, nausea or vomiting can occur. So, the headache starts first and then you may experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. Other common symptoms include bleeding, dizziness, light sensitivity and a stiff neck. These are all related to the bleeding, in some cases pressure in the head or the aneurysm pressing on related structures.
Risk factors
Risk factors that doctors and researchers believe contribute to the formation of brain aneurysms include:
- Smoking;
- High blood pressure or hypertension;
- Family history of brain aneurysms;
- Age over 40;
- Gender—women compared with men have an increased incidence of aneurysms at a ratio of 3:2;
- Having other disorders: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a group of inherited disorders that mostly affect the skin, joints and blood vessels), Polycystic Kidney Disease (an inherited disorder in which clusters of cysts develop in the kidneys), Marfan Syndrome (an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue) and Fibromuscular Dysplasia or FMD (progressive twisting of the blood vessels throughout the body);
- Drug use, particularly cocaine;
- Infection;
- Tumours;
- Traumatic head injury.
Treatment
Some aneurysms that are not leaking can be watched, but others need to be packed off with minimally invasive surgery. Still others need an open operation to clip off the weaknesses, but treatment depends on severity. Treatments for an unruptured aneurysm include medication to control blood pressure and procedures to prevent a future rupture. Emergency medical care is required for a ruptured aneurysm.
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