Medical experts use stark language when it comes to aneurysms. The risk of death can be high if an aneurysm ruptures. A diagnosis of an aneurysm in the aorta, the body's major blood vessel, can be frightening, but the good news is that it is easily detected with painless ultrasound.
Nobody is sure what causes an aneurysm , although there are many risk factors.
Essentially, an aneurysm is the widening, sometimes called a ballooning, of an artery because of a weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. You can be born with a defect in your artery, or you can develop the condition as life goes on.
The condition can show up in a number of places: the aorta, which is typically about the diameter of a garden hose , the brain, your leg, behind your knee, in your intestine, or in the spleen.
A rupture in the aorta causes internal bleeding. And that can be life threatening. About 15,000 Americans die from that situation each year. But experts say that if the aneurysm is detected before it bursts, surgery can repair it. Smaller aneurysms tend not to burst, but fast-growing ones can. Symptoms can include a pulsating sensation near the navel, tenderness in the abdomen or chest, or back pain. It can also be symptomless which is why screening can be important.
Another common place for an aneurysm is the brain. About 5 percent of the population has some kind of brain aneurysm. There are usually no symptoms unless it bursts. It's possible, however, that it can put pressure on another part of the brain, and in those cases symptoms could include double vision, complete loss of vision, headaches, eye pain or neck pain. Brain aneurysms are sometimes detected in CT scans or an MRI given for some other reason.
Risk Factors for Aneurysms
- High blood pressure can raise risk for abdominal aortic aneurysms.
- High cholesterol can also increase risk for some types of aneurysms.
- Pregnancy is linked to aneurysms in the spleen.
- Age is a factor in abdominal aortic aneurysms – they most often occur in people over 60.
- Men are more likely, 5 to 10 times more likely, than women to suffer aortic aneurysm.
- Race is a factor too. White people are more likely than other races to have an aortic aneurysm.
- People who have a family history are also more likely to suffer from the condition.
Learn more about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
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