ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Aneurysm

What is aneurysm?

4 May 2021

This condition occurs when the blood vessels in an artery weaken and become more fragile, increasing the risk of rupturing and causing a hemorrhage. In many cases, aneurysms do not produce any symptoms, so they can rupture suddenly and need immediate medical attention.

In the United States alone, 1 in 50 people have brain aneurysms, that is, about 6 million people.

Signs and symptoms Aneurysm

Although most aneurysms do not produce symptoms until they rupture, in some cases, aneurysms can signal their presence when:

  • Eye problems appear.
  • In case of recurring headaches.
  • Numbness of the extremities. 

When an aneurysm ruptures, even more intense symptoms appear, such as a sudden headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, muscle weakness, trouble speaking, seizures, or even loss of consciousness.

Main causes:

  • The patient’s age: the vast majority of aneurysms appear in people over 65 years old.
  • Comorbidities: hypertension, atherosclerosis, Marfan syndrome, and other vascular pathologies, increase the risk of suffering an aneurysm.
  • High-fat diet and smoking: the accumulation of plaque in the arteries favors the appearance of aneurysms.
  • Background: if one of your relatives suffered an aneurysm, your probability of suffering it increases, even if you are young.

If you are at risk for a brain aneurysm, please contact us to schedule an appointment today to take care of your health.

Diagnosis and treatment Aneurysm

The timely care of an aneurysm is essential. For this reason, and to detect its existence, X-ray images, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, MRI or a cerebral angiography could be used.

In the event of a ruptured aneurysm, your doctor may order follow-up studies to assess changes or suggest a surgical procedure to remove the affected vessel or widen the artery to restore normal blood flow.

At the Cardiovascular Center we offer you a wide range of prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and follow-up services to take care of you through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary care model. Come to us, we want to hear your heart.

Related centers and departments Aneurysm

Cardiovascular Center
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Neurology Center

Fuentes:

  • texasheart.org
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • stanfordchildrens.org
  • msdmanuals.com
  • medicalnewstoday.com
  • medigraphic.com
  • Tamez-Montes D, Ramírez-Barrios LR, Garza-Mercado R, et al. Tratamiento microquirúrgico de los aneurismas intracraneales rotos. Arch Neurocien. 2012;17(1):39-41.
  • Rojas-Reyna GA, Cervantes-Castro J, Alvarado-Bachmann R, et al. Aneurismas de la arteria poplítea. Treinta años de experiencia en el Centro Médico ABC. Cir Cir. 2008;76(1):55-59.
  • Moro RRT, Valdés CJL, Ricardo OD, et al. Aneurismas por Estreptococo Pneumoniae. Revista Cubana de Angiología y Cirugía Vascular. 2021;22(1):1-9.
  • Nicolás-Cruz CF, Mondragón-Soto MG, Aguilar-Calderón JR, et al. Manejo multimodal en malformaciones arteriovenosas cerebrales asociadas a aneurismas múltiples. Reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura. Arch Neurocien. 2020;25(3):26-32.

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    The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.