Brain aneurysms can cause life-threatening complications if they rupture, leading to symptoms such as severe headaches, nausea, impaired vision, and even strokes or death. Treatment involves emergency care and surgery, followed by rehabilitation therapy and regular checkups.
Aneurysms that develop in blood vessels in the brain may be a major cause for concern. When the walls of an artery weaken, blood flow through the area causes them to bulge outward. As long as the walls retain their balloon-like structure, an aneurysm is unlikely to cause any noticeable physical symptoms. When the pressure gets too high, however, a rupture can occur and lead to life-threatening complications. Possible signs of a ruptured brain aneurysm include an immediate severe headache, extreme nausea, and impaired vision. If emergency care is not sought for a person with a ruptured brain aneurysm, seizures, strokes, or sudden death can result.
In most cases, the major break doesn’t happen all at once. An aneurysm can begin to leak relatively small amounts of blood into the surrounding brain tissue and the area between the brain and skull. Even a minor hemorrhage can cause significant symptoms. Nerve tissue irritation can cause drooping of one or both eyelids, dilated pupils, and numbness or weakness on one side of the face.
Additional symptoms occur when more blood is lost through a ruptured brain aneurysm. The buildup of pressure leads to a throbbing migraine, nausea, vomiting, and painful stiffness in the neck and shoulders. A person may have extremely blurred or spotty vision, double vision, or extreme sensitivity to light. Facial weakness or paralysis may worsen as the bleeding continues.
A ruptured brain aneurysm that is leaking a huge amount of blood can cause life-threatening symptoms. The sudden migraine can be quite debilitating, preventing the sufferer from sitting still or communicating with others. He or she may have difficulty breathing, lose consciousness, and possibly have a seizure. A stroke is likely to occur without immediate treatment, and the person may slip into a coma or suffer permanent brain damage.
It is important to call an ambulance whenever a person shows any signs of a ruptured brain aneurysm. In the emergency room, the patient is immediately placed under anesthesia and connected to a respirator and monitoring devices. A surgeon can then cut out the blood vessel and tie it off to prevent further bleeding. An artificial block can be placed in the artery to induce blood clotting. If necessary, antiepileptic drugs and blood pressure-raising drugs are administered.
Recovery after a ruptured brain aneurysm depends on several factors, and many patients need to stay in the hospital for several days or weeks so that doctors can continue to treat symptoms and monitor the damaged brain tissue for healing. It may take months of rehabilitation therapy to help patients gain strength, mental acuity, and speech. People who are able to recover typically need to attend regular checkups and take medication for the rest of their lives to make sure the problems don’t recur.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
