The weak area of the arterial wall when bulges out and obstructs in the path of the blood supply that reaches to the brain, a brain aneurysm or cerebral aneurysm occurs. Most of the time, brain aneurysm is not noticed and get overlooked. It is on rare occasions when blood is released into the skull as the brain aneurysm ruptures and hence it leads to causing a stroke. The damage that occurs when brain aneurysm ruptures, is resulted in the term called subarachnoid haemorrhage. Depending on how severe the haemorrhage is, it can be determined that there has been a brain damage. Is the subarachnoid haemorrhage is very severe, it can even cause death.
Why Do Brain Aneurysm Occur?
There are several reasons due to which brain aneurysm can occur. Some of the reasons are:
- Ageing
- Atherosclerosis which is caused due to the hardening of the arteries
- Inheriting a tendency to aneurysm.
While some of the factors which pose a risk to brain aneurysm can be controlled others cannot be controlled. There are also some factors which not only lead to causing brain aneurysm but also increase the tendency of the artery getting ruptured. These are:
Previous Aneurysm: If the patient has already undergone a brain aneurysm, it is likely that he or she might have another.
Family History: If the patient has a family history and medical history of brain aneurysm, then he or she will be more prone to developing an aneurysm than a person with no family history of the same.
Gender: When we divide the patients according to their genders, it is noticed that women are more likely to undergo a subarachnoid haemorrhage (rupturing of aneurysm) or develop a brain aneurysm.
Race: Subarachnoid haemorrhage caused to the rupture of brain aneurysm is suffered more by the African Americans than the whites.
History of High B.P: People those who have high blood pressure or a history of high blood pressure can more easily fall prey to subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Smokers: Smoking leads to high blood pressure which might lead to the development of brain aneurysm. Not only smoking increases blood pressure, smoking can also result in the rupturing of the brain aneurysm.
What Are The Symptoms Which Indicate Brain Aneurysm?
The understated symptoms are some of the most common symptoms which can refer that a person is suffering from brain aneurysm. If a person undergoes one or more of these symptoms, he or she should immediately seek medical help.
The symptoms are:
- Pupils getting dilated
- Blurry vision and double vision
- Localised headache
- Pain behind the eye or above the eye causing difficulty in seeing
- Feeling weak or numb
- Difficulty in speaking.
If the brain aneurysm results in rupturing, subarachnoid haemorrhage or SAH can occur. The haemorrhage will further be defined by the filling of the subarachnoid space with blood. There will be several symptoms if the blood not only fills up the subarachnoid space but also escape in the spaces around the brain. If the person is facing any of the under mentioned symptoms (one or more) suddenly, he or she required immediate medical attention. The sudden symptoms are:
- Severe headache which has begun suddenly and feels like it is the worst headache of your life.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Losing consciousness
- Drooping eyelid
- Stiff neck
- Sudden change in awareness of the mental status
- Trouble finding balance while walking
- Dizziness
- Photophobia or developing sensitivity to light
- Seizure
- Pain above the eyes, behind the eyes
- Blurred vision causing troubled seeing.
Also Read:
- What It Feels Like To Have A Brain Aneurysm, Know its Treatment & Recovery
- Detecting Brain Aneurysm: What Does It Feel Like When You Have A Brain Aneurysm?
- How Long Can You Have A Brain Aneurysm?
- How Do You Prevent a Brain Aneurysm?
- What are the Odds of Surviving a Brain Aneurysm?
- Do Brain Aneurysms Run In The Family?
