In this article, we will first explain what aneurysm is, look at some statistics and types. It will be followed by, the sizes and potential for rupture, and finally the symptoms and warning signs aneurysm.

A brain aneurysm, sometimes referred to as a cerebral aneurysm, is a weak spot in a brain artery. The weak spot creates a balloon that fills with blood.

The walls of the artery are weaker near an aneurysm, which means that the aneurysm can break open, or rupture. A ruptured aneurysm is a life threatening condition that can cause serious brain injuries or stroke. However, not all aneurysms rupture.

People with an aneurysm may need ongoing monitoring to ensure that it is not growing. A doctor may need to remove a larger aneurysm.

To help us further understand this condition, we need to know what the statistics are saying. Find some below:

Brain aneurysm statistics

About 3 to 5% of people in the United States experience a brain aneurysm during their lifetime.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “brain aneurysms affect an estimated 3 to 5% of people in the United States during their lifetime”. They are more common in females than in males and tend to affect adults between the ages of 30 and 60 years.

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation state that: “ruptured brain aneurysms account for just 3 to 5% of all new stroke cases”. If an aneurysm does rupture, it is fatal in about 40% of cases, with 15% of people dying before they reach the hospital.

After an aneurysm bursts, the person’s prognosis largely depends on:

• age and general health
• preexisting neurological conditions
• location of the aneurysm
• extent of bleeding (and rebleeding)
• time between rupture and medical attention
• successful treatment of the aneurysm.

About 25 percent of individuals whose cerebral aneurysm ruptured, do not survive the first 24 hours, another 25 percent die from complications within 6 months and 66% have lasting neurological damage.

After having the overview of aneurysm, we will next consider the various types.

Types of aneurysm

Generally, Doctors classify aneurysms according to the shape of the weak spot in the artery.

There are three main types of aneurysm. These are:

• Saccular aneurysms: this typeform a pocket on the outside of an artery. They are the most common type of cerebral aneurysm. Some people refer to them as berry aneurysms due to their appearance.
• Fusiform aneurysms:this occur when the blood vessel expands on all sides. This type of aneurysm is more common after an injury to a blood vessel.
• Mycotic aneurysms: theseare those that form a sac around an artery. They happen when an infection from another area of the body gets into the bloodstream and spreads to the brain. Myocarditis, a type of heart infection, is a common culprit, but mycotic aneurysms are very rare.

The sizes and potential for rupture

The size of an aneurysm significantly determines whether or not it will rupture. The following are the common sizes:

• Small aneurysms: are less than 11 millimeters (mm) across — about the size of a large pencil eraser.
• Large aneurysms: are 11–25 mm in diameter — roughly the size of a dime.
• Giant aneurysms: are 25 mm or larger — more than the diameter of a quarter.

Some aneurysms grow over time, and a small number grow rapidly. Growth, especially rapid growth, increases the risk that the aneurysm will rupture.

The next section will consider the symptoms of aneurysm.

The symptoms and early warning signs

Larger aneurysms are more likely than smaller ones to cause symptoms before they rupture, but most aneurysms do not cause any symptoms during this stage.

When people with an unruptured aneurysm do experience symptoms, they may include:

• pain above or behind the eye that gets worse or does not go away with time
• numbness
• weakness
• paralysis or twitching on one side of the face
• vision changes, such as blurred or double vision
• a dilated pupil in only one eye

Sometimes an aneurysm leaks before it ruptures. Doctors call this a sentinel rupture or sentinel bleed.

Sentinel ruptures sometimes cause sentinel headaches. A sudden, severe headache — especially one that does not fit a person’s usual headache pattern or that is worse than any other headache they have ever had — could be a sentinel headache.

Other symptoms of a sentinel rupture include:

• nausea or vomiting
• vision changes
• confusion or changes in consciousness
• a stiff neck
• light sensitivity
• fainting or seizures
• cardiac arrest

Any person experiencing symptoms of an aneurysm, should seek immediate medical care. If individuals previously received diagnosis of unruptured aneurysm, it is important that they make the emergency care team aware of it.

Summary

A ruptured aneurysm is a life threatening condition that can cause serious brain injuries or stroke. However, not all aneurysms rupture.

Doctors generally classify aneurysms according to the shape of the weak spot in the artery. Aneurysm is therefore classified into three: saccular aneurysms, fusiform aneurysms and mycotic aneurysms.

The size of an aneurysm significantly determines whether or not it will rupture. The sizes could be small, large or giant.

Available evidence indicates that, larger aneurysms are more likely than smaller ones to cause symptoms before they rupture, but most aneurysms do not cause any symptoms during early stages.

For the fact that, an unruptured aneurysm may go unnoticed throughout a person’s lifetime and not cause symptoms, it is important to identify and treat aneurysms as early as possible. Prompt medical care increases a person’s chances of survival.

Book to link: The understanding of brain hemorrhage and aneurysm made simple.