Most people around the world are still not sure of what a brain aneurysm is and how fatal it can be. People who suffer from this issue feel like their head will explode, and they also experience a stiff neck, a tingling sensation in their face, and sensitivity to light. The headache generally lasts for a couple of hours and then, it subsides for a day or two.
It has been found that almost 90% of Americans are not sure of what brain aneurysm is, and people aren’t even sure of the signs and symptoms to correctly identify brain aneurysm. Read on to learn the basics of brain aneurysm, know the symptoms, and spot it before it gets too late.
The Basics Of A Brain Aneurysm
Brain aneurysm is a weakness in the wall that happens in one of the brain’s blood vessels, according to Howard Riina, MD, who is a neurosurgeon at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. Blood takes a course through the brain and the weakness that happens in the wall allows the blood vessel’s wall to push towards the outside, which forms a bulge. This bulge is like an over-inflated balloon that can rupture, and this rupture allows blood to leak out into the surrounding brain tissue.
Until the rupture happens, many people who suffer from brain aneurysm do not even come to know about it. However, many aneurysms do not rupture as well, and this lets people believe that they don’t have an aneurysm at all. Riina also says that even if an MRI or other form of imaging is done and the reports show an aneurysm, treatment is often not recommended unless the bulge is above a certain size and if the patient does not have a family history of ruptured aneurysms.
Signs And Symptoms
Sufferers of brain aneurysm experience a common symptom and that is the worst headache in their lives. It is so painful that the sufferers feel like they have been struck by a bolt of lightning. The headache is often accompanied with neck stiffness, tingling on the face, and sensitivity to light. Some sufferers have also reported that they hear some sound like a gunshot or an explosion when the rupture takes place.
Some other associated symptoms are seizures, weakness in the limbs, blurred or double vision, and extreme tiredness. Aneurysm sufferers have reported that the headache that they experience is felt anywhere in the head or sometimes, all over, but mostly, they experience it behind the eyes.
Rupture And Its After-Effects
According to Howard Riina, when a rupture happens, blood doesn’t squirt out all the time although it might happen for a few seconds. Usually, a little platelet plug forms almost immediately after the rupture. Some patients suffer very small leaks in those days when a major rupture is about to happen and although in small amounts, leakage of blood can be quite irritating to the brain.
The leaked blood increases the pressure that forms inside the cranium. Leakage also diverts blood from the tissues and regions of the brain that need a steady supply of blood. Due to both pressure and lack of sufficient blood that a ruptured aneurysm causes, the sufferer can quickly go to a state of unconsciousness and sometimes, even death. Almost 30 to 50 percent of sufferers of ruptured aneurysm die as soon as the rupture happens.
What Should You Do?
If you experience any of the symptoms of aneurysm mentioned above, it is highly recommended that you take emergency medical help. Since the brain is a very sensitive organ and even if people are treated and they survive, it has been found that one third of the patients of brain aneurysm die and another third suffer from a lasting impairment. Only one third return to their normal state after a rupture occurs and they are cured. Several procedures need to be followed to relieve a patient from the pressure that is caused by a ruptured aneurysm.
The Lisa Colagrossi Foundation (TLCF) founded by Todd Crawford in memory of his wife Lisa, who died of a ruptured aneurysm, has been working to fill the gap between education and public awareness to enlighten people about brain aneurysm and how to spot it before it gets worse to save themselves and their loved ones.
