Brain Aneurysm Basics That Can Save your life.

What Is A Brain Aneurysm?
A brain aneurysm is a weak bulging spot on the wall of a brain artery, very much like a thin balloon or weak spot on an inner tube.

Brain Aneurysm Statistics

• An estimated 6 million people in the United States have an unruptured brain aneurysm, or 1 in 50 people
• The annual rate of rupture is approximately 8 per 100,000 people or about 25,000 people
• About 40% of all people who have a ruptured brain aneurysm will die as a result
• 4 out of 7 people who recover from a ruptured brain aneurysm will have disabilities
• Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 – 60, but can occur in children as well
• Women, more than men, suffer from brain aneurysms at a ratio of 3:2
• Ruptured brain aneurysms account for 3 – 5% of all new strokes

Warning Signs/Symptoms
Unruptured

• Cranial nerve palsy
• Dilated pupil
• Double vision
• Pain above and behind the eye
• Localized headache
• Drooping eyelid

Ruptured
Localized or diffuse headache associated with one
or more of the following:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Stiff neck
• Blurred or double vision
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Change in mental status or awareness
• Seizure

Risk Factors that doctors and researchers believe contribute to the formation of brain aneurysms:

• Smoking
• Hypertension
• Congenital resulting from inborn abnormality in artery wall
• Drug use, particularly cocaine
• Infection
• Tumors
• Traumatic head injury
• Family history of brain aneurysms
• Other inherited disorders: Ehler’s Syndrome, Polycystic Kidney Disease, and Marfan’s Syndrome
• Presence of an arteriovenous malformation