Awareness Month for Brain Aneurysms: Partaking in Awareness Activities
In September, Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month shines a light on a potentially life-threatening condition that affects approximately 1 in 50 people in the United States. A brain aneurysm is a weak spot on a blood vessel wall that balloons outward and becomes filled with blood.
Brain aneurysms can be asymptomatic unless they become large or rupture. Symptoms of large aneurysms may include weakness, numbness, eye pain, partial facial paralysis, dilated pupil, vision changes, and headache. If an aneurysm ruptures, symptoms include a sudden and severe headache, nausea, double vision, light sensitivity, stiff neck, vomiting, seizures, lost of consciousness, and other neurological symptoms such as motor weakness or paralysis, speech and language difficulties, and sensory changes.
Risk factors for brain aneurysms include older age, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, infection, trauma, tumors, family history, tobacco use, alcohol use, and cocaine use. Aneurysms that leak before rupturing can produce a sentinel headache, a sudden, severe head pain accompanied by high blood pressure, visual field deficits, dilated pupils, cranial nerve deficits, drowsiness, light sensitivity, motor deficits, sensory deficits, lower back pain with neck flexion, and neck stiffness.
Doctors diagnose brain aneurysms using imaging techniques such as CT scan, MRI scan, and cerebral angiography, and measuring chemicals in cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment for larger, leaking, or ruptured aneurysms includes surgery, embolization, and blood flow diversion devices.
Common long-term neurological changes experienced by individuals recovering from a ruptured brain aneurysm often include cognitive deficits, speech difficulties, weakness, and other neurologic impairments resulting from permanent brain damage. Approximately 25% to 50% of survivors suffer from these lasting neurological disabilities, which may persist for months or become permanent.
Those who are recovering from a ruptured brain aneurysm may experience long- or short-term neurological changes. The prognosis depends on the severity of the initial hemorrhage, treatment timing, and subsequent complications such as hydrocephalus (fluid buildup), vasospasm (blood vessel narrowing), or delayed cerebral ischemia. Long recovery periods are typical, and many patients require comprehensive rehabilitation to regain lost functions.
Brain aneurysms are dangerous if they rupture, with a high mortality rate within the first 24 hours and 50% within the following 3 months. Symptom knowledge can improve a person's chance of obtaining prompt medical help for a brain aneurysm.
For those interested in getting involved in Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, there are numerous ways to do so. This includes participating in fundraising events, sharing information on social media, education, and donations. The Brain Aneurysm Foundation's website can be used to find fundraising events, and online donations can be made to organizations such as the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
Information and support about brain aneurysms can be found at organizations such as the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Joe Niekro Foundation. These organizations aim to raise awareness, educate, and fund research to help improve the lives of those affected by brain aneurysms.
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