Ohio State Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones died this week in Cleveland from a brain aneurtsm that ruptured while she was driving. She was taken to the Cleveland Clinic and was unable to recover. She was only 58 years old.
Brain aneurysms are little balloon type 'pockets' that are found in the arteries. Many are in the brain but can also be found around the heart or in the legs or other areas of the body.
It is thought that about 4% of people have aneurysms (based on autopsy statistics) which is pretty staggering. Most people don't even know they have an aneurysm and live with it. Unless it ruptures, they can live to be 100 and die of other causes. Aneurysms themselves are not fatal but if they rupture, they can be - and death can be fast. About 10% of people who have an aneurysm will experience a rupture.
WebMD has a question and answer session with Howard Kirshner, MD, professor and chairman of neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. I thought I'd put it here, to educate us a little more about this mysterious but scary condition -
"What is a brain aneurysm?
"An [unruptured] aneurysm looks kind of like a balloon, an out-pouching of an artery," Kirshner says. "It almost always occurs at a point where the artery branches off."
While Tubbs Jones had a cerebral, or brain aneurysm; aneurysms can also occur in the aorta (the major artery from the heart), the leg, and other areas. Aneurysms are related to weaknesses in the blood vessel wall.
How common is a brain aneurysm?
''We think that many people have them -- up to 4% have it at autopsy," Kirshner says, citing research, but many show no symptoms. According to Kirshner, about 5% of people will develop a brain aneurysm during their lifetime, but only about 10% of them will experience a rupture.
As a crude estimate, he says, perhaps 25,000 to 50,000 people a year in the U.S. have a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. Family history plays a role, experts believe. Family members of a patient with a brain aneurysm have an increased risk of having one. Yet only a small percentage of these are related to hereditary syndromes associated with aneurysms.
Women are more likely than men to have an aneurysm, and African-Americans have more risk of hemorrhage from an aneurysm than do whites.
What are the symptoms that an aneurysm has ruptured?
Aneurysms often go undetected because they can have no symptoms until they rupture and bleed. When that happens, it can cause a sudden severe headache and sometimes nothing more than that, Kirshner says. "But it is usually not like any other headache you've had. It is very sudden or severe, the worst headache of your life." Other symptoms include severe neck pain, dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light.
One-third to nearly half of patients have minor hemorrhages or "warning leaks" that later lead to a severe devastating brain hemorrhage days later.
Sometimes, when an aneurysm ruptures, it can go unnoticed, with the person passing off the headache. But once it ruptures, Kirshner says, it is more likely to re-bleed.
Is there a typical age bracket for aneurysms to rupture?
"They are most common in middle age -- the 40s and 50s are the peak ages," he says. But they can happen at any age. "I've seen them in teenagers. They do occasionally occur in elderly people."
What can someone do to reduce the risk of an aneurysm growing and rupturing?
"Not smoking and treating hypertension prevent aneurysms from growing and rupturing," Kirshner says.
In general, what is the outlook for someone whose brain aneurysm bursts?
The prognosis, Kirshner says, "is very uncertain." A ruptured aneurysm can cause sudden death, he says. In general, "if you are in bad shape right in the beginning, the odds of recovery are much lower." The overall death rate once the aneurysm ruptures is about 40%, he says.
What might be done when the rupture is discovered?
Getting treatment as soon as possible is critical, he says. If it's possible to do surgery, one option is to go in surgically and put a clip across the aneurysm to stop bleeding. "An even more common surgery is to go through the artery and deploy a coil [into the aneurysm, using a tiny catheter] and the coil causes the aneurysm to shut off." The coil causes a clot to form around the sac, sealing off the aneurysm defect."
http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20080821/aneurysms-common-sometimes-dead...
If anyone has anything to add or had their own experience, I'd love to hear it!
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Add a Comment96 Comments
Im ten years old and I have a best friend who died from an aneurism.I cried and cried i really miss her!I still can't believe my friend died.
December 4, 2014 - 3:53pmThis Comment
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. It is so sad to lose someone you love. My dad died from an aneurism and I still miss him. I hope you feel better as time goes by. I will pray for you.
December 28, 2014 - 5:15amThis Comment
Thank u for what u said I hope u the best!
December 28, 2014 - 9:48amThis Comment
Hi, I am 33 years old. I was having sex one day and as I was about to orgasm I had the worst migraine ever and it continued for days... I did not go to the hospital, as a matter of fact the next 2 times it happened again. Eventually I stated to take pain killers before I would have sex, it did not take the migraine away but it did eliminate the pain. I went to the dr.'s and found out that there is a syndrome that is related to sexx and migraines but obviously the doctor still wanted me to have a cat scan done. Once those results came in, that is how I found out I have an aneurysm which is 4mm. At this point I am waiting on neurology to call me so I can set up an appointment but I am worried! I've been doing some research and it says at 4mm, there's nothing to worry about, my concern is, could it have reptured at all drink this times I had sex. The pain I had was the worst ever.... My head throbbed for hours, I honestly thought I was going to die. I'm wondering if it did, maybe it did not repute but possibly leaked?
I am so scared!
November 16, 2014 - 11:42pmThis Comment
Hello when I was 24 I had a brain aneurysm ruptured while having sex! It was 4 mm yes it can rupture and you can lose your life. I would be interested in speaking to you more about this on a personal level
January 6, 2015 - 4:55pmAs I still struggle with having sex ten years later.
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Hi. My husband suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm 7.5mths ago. It happened during sex and I was lucky to have read an article on it a few days prior, so when it happened I picked up on his symptoms right away and rushed him to the hospital. He had to have it cluppep. Its scary when I think that he just wanted to go to sleep, and the doctors said if he did he probably would not have woken up.
January 26, 2015 - 7:45pmHe is healing really well. Almost back to 100%.. With the exception of one aspect of our lives.. His libido is VERY LOW. We are only 40 yrs old and since his surgery, we are only intimate once every 2mths, and only for a few minutes.
My husband is now taking blood pressure meds (Amlodipine 20mgs and Propranalol 10mgs) and I think that may be a contributing factor.
I have not really brought up the issue with my husband, because I dont want him to feel pressured or embarassed in any way, however he has mentioned to me that he just does not "feel for it" anymore.
I don't want to sound crass, but is there anyone here who has had similar problems with their libido? And could you offer me any advice? Thank you.
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I am 43, I had a headach they did a cat scan and I was told I have 4 brain aneurysms two on the left and two on the right. They are talking about coiling them and Im scared. The largest is 4mm. Has anyone had coiling on unrup2jjtured aneurysms. Not sure what I should do?
October 18, 2014 - 8:57pmThis Comment
I just had coiling done on 4 myself on September 14th.Saved my life .Mine were done in time they were ready to rupture.Be safe and have procedure done.I'm doing well slight headaches now ,but I'm alive.I list my sister 2 months to same thing ,so its no sit down and wait thing.wishing you the best
November 6, 2014 - 1:24amThis Comment
My mother had two erupt and a total of three brain aneurisms. She is alive and well today 3 years after it all happened. She is 63 today and it happened on Thanksgiving day. Two of the aneurisms they eventually had to put clamps on. the third one they have not fixed yet. The third one is not your normal aneurism where it forms a bubble on one spot of the artery. It encircles it and is right at a branch. Since it is completely around the artery they feel there is less chance of a rupture since there is not as much pressure in one single spot. She suffers from short term memory lose, and with out seizure medication she will have a seizure at times but very rare and only if she is not on medication for them.
September 26, 2014 - 5:20amThis Comment
I had brain surgery three yers to remove anerysm and survived without any issues, but a new one found the following mnths after the surgery, it is being monitored for size, and aroudn4mm right now, but is not a balloon type one that can be clipped or coiled, he said it was like a pond in the vein, but one that cant really be fixed, what are my chances to survive.
July 14, 2014 - 12:31amThis Comment