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Read More... Jan 16, 2025Aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is an abnormal ballooning of a part of a blood vessel. It happens when the pressure of blood passing through has forced a weakened part of the artery wall to balloon outward. Aneurysms don’t cause any symptoms, so you can often have an aneurysm without prior warning.
The exact cause is often unknown, but damaged tissue in the blood vessel or increased blood pressure caused by stress can be contributing factors. If these aneurysms burst, it can lead to internal bleeding, which in some cases can lead to the patient bleeding to death.
Aneurysms can occur throughout the body, one of the most common areas is in the brain. Brain aneurysms can either leak or rupture causing bleeding in the brain – a stroke. Quick medical treatment is vital, as a ruptured aneurysm can quickly become life threatening. In most cases brain aneurysms don’t leak or rupture and are detected during routine tests. Treatment of an unruptured aneurysm may be necessary to prevent further complications.
The key symptom of a ruptured aneurysm in the brain is a sudden, severe headache, this could be accompanied with nausea and or vomiting, stiffness of the neck, vision problems, loss of consciousness, disorientation and sensitivity to light.
A leaking aneurysm in the brain may only cause a sudden and extreme headache.
An Aortic aneurysm can develop anywhere along the aorta, the main blood vessel which runs from your heart through your chest and abdomen. When they occur in the chest, they are called thoracic aortic aneurysms. Aneurysms that form in the lower part of your aorta — called abdominal aortic aneurysms — are more common than thoracic aortic aneurysms. Aortic aneurysms are often slow growing, and hard to detect. Some will never rupture, although you may experience some symptoms such as: chest pain, back pain, pain in the abdomen or difficulty breathing.
Treatment of your aneurysm will vary depending the size and risk of it rupturing. Treatment may simply be to keep monitoring the aneurysm with regular imaging tests to determine the size and changes. The frequency will depend on the aneurysm itself.
Your doctor may prescribe some medications to lower blood pressure or cholesterol levels. These could include beta blockers, angeiotensin ll receptor blockers or statins.
Some aneurysms will also require surgery to repair the damaged section of blood vessel. The type of surgery and recovery time will depend on the size and location of the aneurysm.
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