An unruptured brain aneurysm may cause zero symptoms. People can live with them for years before detection. If a brain aneurysm is unruptured, no blood has broken through the blood vessel walls. This means the "balloon" in your blood vessel remains intact.
When this occurs in a blood vessel in the brain, it's called a brain aneurysm or a cerebral aneurysm. Most people with brain aneurysms have no symptoms. They may never find out they have a brain aneurysm, or it may be found by accident when their brain is scanned for some other reason.
An unruptured aneurysm may go unnoticed throughout a person's lifetime. A burst aneurysm, however, may be fatal or could lead to hemorrhagic stroke, vasospasm (the leading cause of disability or death following a burst aneurysm), hydrocephalus, coma, or short-term and/or permanent brain damage.
A severe headache that comes out of nowhere (often described as the worst headache one has ever felt) Blurred vision. Feeling nauseated. Throwing up.
An unruptured brain aneurysm may not have any symptoms, especially if it's small. However, a larger unruptured aneurysm may press on brain tissues and nerves. Symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm may include: Pain above and behind one eye.
People can mistake an aneurysm for a migraine headache, delaying care and possibly leading to significant harm. It is important to learn the differences and what to do when warning signs of an aneurysm are present.
Brain aneurysms often remain undetected for a long time. Many people who have brain aneurysms have no symptoms at all or only subtle symptoms that come and go, often dismissed as minor health issues. However, when a brain aneurysm begins to rupture, it can lead to a very sudden onset of severe symptoms.
Causes of aneurysms
high blood pressure (hypertension) over many years resulting in damage and weakening of blood vessels. fatty plaques (atherosclerosis) resulting in a weakness of the blood vessel wall. inherited diseases that may result in weaker than normal blood vessel walls.
Researchers think high blood pressure is the most common cause of a rupture. Higher blood pressure makes blood push harder against blood vessel walls. Situations that can increase blood pressure and lead to a brain aneurysm rupture include: Ongoing stress or a sudden burst of anger or other strong emotion.
Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 to 60, but can occur in children as well. Most aneurysms develop after the age of 40. Women, particularly those over the age of 55, have a higher risk of brain aneurysm rupture than men (about 1.5 times the risk).
Left untreated, an aneurysm may rupture or burst — a very severe form of stroke. Two to three percent of people in the United States develop brain aneurysms. The signs of brain aneurysm vary from person to person, depending on its size, growth rate and location.
About 1.5 to 5 percent of the general population has or will develop a cerebral aneurysm. That's about 3 to 5 million people in the United States, but most don't show any symptoms. A small percentage may suffer from bleeding.
Some experts believe it could be as high as 1 in 20 people, while others think the figure is much lower at around 1 in 100 people. The number of aneurysms that actually rupture is much smaller.
Signs of a Leaking Aneurysm
Some cerebral aneurysms may start to leak before they rupture, causing a sudden severe headache. This symptom, also called a sentinel headache, is a warning sign of a major rupture. Many patients report a sentinel headache six to 20 days before a rupture.
Small, unruptured aneurysms, particularly in the front of the brain, are sometimes safely left alone, particularly in older patients and those without a family history of aneurysm rupture or other risk factors such as uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Brain aneurysms can occur in anyone and at any age. They are most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 60 and are more common in women than in men. People with certain inherited disorders are also at higher risk.
Strong emotions, such as being upset or angry, can raise blood pressure and can subsequently cause aneurysms to rupture.
“Another is that an aneurysm can disappear or heal itself. This is very rare and only happens in aneurysms that are considered benign because the flow of blood is so slow it eventually forms a clot and seals off the bulge.”
Can people live a long time with a brain aneurysm? Absolutely. Many aneurysms cause no symptoms at all. Some people live for years without knowing they have a brain aneurysm.
Bain says, which may mean an aneurysm is pressing on your brain or nerves: Headache in one spot. Pain above or behind your eye. Dilated pupils.
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The suddenness and intensity of a brain aneurysm are its hallmarks -- and the best way to tell it apart from a migraine. Seizures are another symptom that may show up during a burst aneurysm. You don't get that with a migraine. If you lose consciousness, it's also a sign that you have a brain aneurysm, not a migraine.
An unruptured brain aneurysm can manifest as recurrent or chronic headaches. Even with successful treatment, many people who have had an unruptured brain aneurysm will continue to experience these headaches.
If your aortic aneurysm ruptures, you will feel a sudden and severe pain in the middle or side of your abdomen. In men, the pain can also radiate down into the scrotum. Other symptoms include: dizziness.