Cerebral aneurysm: ticking time bomb

A brain aneurysm, also known as a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 70,828 people received treatment for brain aneurysms in 2016, a 2.7-fold increase from 25,713 in 2010. /Gettyimagesbank

By Bahk Eun-ji

Recently, actor Jung Il-woo, 32, revealed he was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm when he was 27 years old.

Jung, who is best known for his role in famous drama “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012) said he even suffered from anxiety and depression because he felt the disease was like a ticking bomb inside his head.

A brain aneurysm, also known as cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain.

It occurs when a person has a weak spot in the wall of an artery in the brain. If the aneurysm bursts in the brain, it can cause a stroke, brain damage, or even death.

The number of patients diagnosed with the illness is steadily increasing. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), 70,828 people were treated for brain aneurysm in 2016, a 2.7-fold increase from 25,713 in 2010.

When an aneurysm ruptures, the rate of fatality is substantially high, around 30 percent. In the case of rebleeding, the rate is 70 percent to 90 percent.

The bleeding usually lasts for a few seconds, causing direct damage to the surrounding cells. The bleeding can also damage or kill other cells and it increases pressure inside the skull.

Depending on the amount of blood, it can cause a sudden severe headache that can last from several hours to days, as well as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness or coma.

Symptoms

Most aneurysms are symptomless until they rupture. When the wall of a blood vessel becomes thin or weak and develops an aneurysm, it can tear at any time. Even an aneurysm that hasn't ruptured is considered a serious medical condition.

Before an aneurysm ruptures, people could have headaches, eye pain, neck pain, or may have no symptoms at all. Because it can happen and show no symptoms, the aneurysm is often found by chance when a doctor is looking for something else. It can be checked through an MRI or a CT scan.

Symptoms often appear after an aneurysm ruptures. They may include a severe headache, drooping eyelids, seizures, impaired speech, double vision, numbness in the body and muscle weakness.

Treatment and complications

Once an aneurysm ruptures and bleeds, causing brain damage treating the aneurysm will not reverse the damage. Treatment helps prevent more bleeding.

There are two common options for a ruptured brain aneurysm: one is surgical clipping in which the surgeon makes an opening in the skull and clips the neck of the aneurysm to stop blood flow to the aneurysm sac; and the other is endovascular embolization, in which the surgeon inserts coils inside the aneurysm to disrupt the blood flow.

Both procedures pose potential risks, particularly bleeding in the brain or loss of blood flow to the brain. The endovascular embolization is less invasive and may be initially safer, but it may have a slightly higher risk of having to repeat the procedure due to the reopening of the aneurysm.

Any medical procedure comes with risks, those for the treatment of a cerebral aneurysm include behavior changes due to neurological injury, blood clots, brain swelling, confusion, infection, seizures, stroke and vision problems.

Complications can develop after the rupture, such as rebleeding, vasospasm, hydrocephalus and hyponatremia, all of which could lead to further brain damage.