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Brain aneurysm: causes, symptoms and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

cerebral aneurysm is the existence of a fragile part in an artery of the brain. Consequently, it can cause dilation in a point of the blood vessel wall by putting pressure on a nerve or even rupturing, causing a hemorrhage. An aneurysm can occur at different levels, so some people do not present any symptoms beyond a slight dilation. This dilation can occur anywhere in the brain, but it is more likely to develop in the lower part and the base of the skull. The leading cause of an aneurysm is for congenital reasons, that is, from birth, although there are other causes such as high blood pressure, head injury, infection, tumors, etc. In FastlyHealwe explainthe causes, symptoms, and treatments of the aneurysm.

Causes of the aneurysm

Different factors can cause a brain aneurysm:

  • Genetic factors . Brain aneurysms are more common in people with some genetic diseases. The person is likely born with an abnormality in the arterial wall that causes the subsequent development of the aneurysm. The type of aneurysm that is usually inherited from parents to children is known as sacciform.
  • Aneurysm due to bad habits such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. These factors increase the possibility of suffering an aneurysm due to the weakness of a part of the brain artery, so leading a healthy life is essential.
  • A brain aneurysm can occur in the brains of healthy people after having a head injury. When receiving an impact on the head, one of the blood vessels is damaged, causing dilation. It only constitutes 1% of the cases.
  • The oral contraceptives. Taking oral contraceptive drugs is associated with circulation problems that increase the risk of developing a brain aneurysm.
  • Atherosclerosis. It is the hardening of the veins produced by the accumulation of fat, cholesterol, and other substances in the arterial walls, forming plaques that can clog the arteries.

Symptoms associated with a brain aneurysm

Symptoms vary depending on the state of the brain aneurysm since sometimes it only involves dilating the blood vessel without causing damage or bleeding. However, when the aneurysm puts pressure on the nerves or ruptures, the following symptoms can be witnessed:

  • Headache . It is a very intense pain as a result of a small hemorrhage. It is known as a headache and can warn of the upcoming development of an aneurysm. It is common for the headache to be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
  • Vision-related problems include blurred vision, double vision, and vision loss or droopy eyelids.
  • The person suffering from an aneurysm may experience orientation problems, fatigue, drowsiness, etc. In addition, there may also be problems related to speech, a symptom of some brain damage, such as making it difficult to express yourself and understand what other people say. Along with these symptoms, it is expected that there is also muscle weakness or decreased mobility of some parts of the body.
  • Reduced feeling or numbness in any part of the body.
  • Another less common symptom of having a brain aneurysm is a stiff neck and pain.

Brain aneurysm treatments

Each aneurysm should be evaluated differently based on its size, location, risk of rupture, age, health, and medical history of the patient. Suppose an aneurysm has been detected before bleeding occurs, and it does not present a high risk of rupture. In that case, a periodic examination may be carried out to ensure that it remains stable. In this situation, the doctor can advise on whether it is better to perform an intervention to prevent bleeding from the aneurysm or whether to continue with a periodic examination to monitor its growth.

In case of having a recently emerged aneurysm, examinations should be performed at 6-month intervals since they have the highest risk of growth.

On the other hand, for those patients who experience the presence of a large aneurysm, with a high risk of rupture, or in those cases in which bleeding has occurred, an urgent surgical intervention should be performed. When bleeding occurs, two interventions are usually performed:

  • Microvascular clipping . The goal is to stop blood flow to the aneurysm. This is achieved by introducing a clip that cuts the circulation of the blood vessel responsible for supplying blood to the aneurysm. In general, this intervention has good results, avoiding future bleeding in the patient. If the aneurysm has damaged the artery, the doctor may consider clipping to close the entire route.
  • Endovascular embolization . It is an alternative to microvascular clipping that does not involve surgery . This intervention introduces a catheter into a way, usually the groin artery, to reach the aneurysm by releasing a malleable platinum thread to stop blood flow.

Prevention of brain aneurysm

There is no clear way to prevent a brain aneurysm. The best option is to lead a healthy life: eat well and play sports, and avoid the consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.

On the other hand, those patients who are aware that they have a family history should carry out a periodic review to detect possible aneurysms. Detecting an aneurysm early can prevent bleeding with proper treatment. In the case of consuming contraceptive drugs, it is advisable to go to the doctor to consult about these drugs and their possible effects.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cerebral aneurysm: causes, symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Brain and nerves category .

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