Difficult to detect, aneurysms have a few warning signs
Brain aneurysms usually aren’t as dramatic as what you see on TV — where someone is alive one moment and dead the next. But aneurysm ruptures can be devastating.
About one-third of Americans who experience them die, frequently immediately. But many others make a partial or full recovery.
An aneurysm is a weak spot on a blood vessel that bulges under pressure until it ruptures. Although aneurysms develop anywhere there are blood vessels, they are most common in the heart’s major blood vessel, the aorta, and in different parts of the brain.
“Although they still aren’t completely understood, aneurysms are being discovered more frequently than they used to be,” says Dr. Marshall C. Cress, a board-certified neurosurgeon with the Orlando Health Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Institute Neurology Group. “You could be seeing a doctor for an unrelated issue and a test or imaging scan will show an aneurysm.”
There are many things we do not know about aneurysms, says Dr. Cress, but two things we do know are: They can exist for years without detection, and the best way you can avoid them is not to smoke and to keep your blood pressure in the normal range.
Doctors can run several tests if you have a family history of aneurysms or a genetic condition that can cause one to form.
Occasionally, an aneurysm reaches a size that makes it press against nerves in the brain, causing a series of symptoms that are also warning signs. They include:
• Blurred or double vision
• Sudden, severe headache
• Pain or drooping in one eye
• Stiff neck
• Weakness and numbness
Neurosurgeons who specialize in treating aneurysms can evaluate MRIs or CAT scans and perform a minor procedure called a diagnostic cerebral angiogram, which examines blood vessels within the brain.
“If you don’t often get headaches but suddenly experience the worst migraine of your life, this could be a sign that you’re experiencing a ruptured brain aneurysm,” Dr. Cress says.
Although a rupture can stop on its own, it’s still crucial to contact first responders.